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3V    3542    .F8   M66 
,     Milum,    John. 
3^     Thomas   Birch  Freeman 


FELLING  A  FETTSII   TREE. 


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THOMAS  BIRCH   FREEMAIT 

JHtsstonarn  ^pionr^r  to  ^sbanti, 
fialjotmn,  anb  (Sgba. 


BY 

JOHN  'mILUM,    F.R.G.S. 

Formerly  Missiovary  of  the   Wesley  an  Missionary  Society  ii 
Western  Africa 


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FLEMING     H.     REVELL     COMPANY 
NEW     YORK  CHICAGO  TORONTO 

Prtblishers  of  Evaftgelii.al  Literature . 


rr-','^-/.-V-oV.,;V;?l.-~»«««.-.  '\ I'm*  -W 


OLD  FORT  AT  WHYDAH,  DAHOMEY. 


PKEFACE. 


(CHRISTIAN  evangelisation  on  the  Gold  Coast  by 
^  agents  of  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society,  is  of 
comparatively  recent  date,  Joseph  E.  Dunwell,  the 
first  missionary  to  the  Fantis,  having  reached  Cape 
Coast  Castle  as  late  as  the  year  1836.  As  a  child  of 
eight  years  old,  the  writer  of  this  preface  can  well 
remember  the  sorrow  occasioned  in  the  family  of  his 
late  grandfather,  Elisha  Wilson,  of  Peckliam,  from 
whose  class  Dunwell  had  proceeded,  on  the  reception 
of  the  news  of  the  young  preacher's  lamented  death, 
after  a  short  ministry  of  scarcely  six  months.  The 
whole  subsequent  history  of  the  Gold  and  Slave  Coast 
Mission  is  embraced  in  less  than  two  generations,  its 
jubilee  having  been  celebrated  in  1880.  Over  nearly 
the  whole  of  this  period  the  missionary  career  of 
Thomas  Bircli  Freeman  extended,  as  will  be  shown 
in  the  following  j)ages  ;  and  it  will  be  discovered,  on 

5 


6  PREFACE. 

perusal,  that  the  development  of  the  work  in  his  hands, 
and  in  those  of  his  coadjutors,  was  simply  marvellous. 
What  its  future  will  be  depends  upon  the  wisdom 
and  energy  of  its  European  supervisors,  and  the  de- 
votion to  spiritual  duty  of  its  native  staff.  Lake  Chad 
is  its  ultimate  bourn.  Across  the  swamps  to  Benin, 
and  round  to  the  bend  of  the  Niger,  over  the  hills 
to  Nkoranza,  and  thence  onward  to  Timbuktu;  through 
Salagha  and  the  inner  lands  of  the  half-pagan,  half- 
Islamite  Soudanese,  to  Sakatu,  and  thence  to  Kuka 
on  the  Great  Lake,  is  its  sco23e.  What  possibilities 
of  successful  extension  lie  before  the  young  Fanti  and 
Egba  Churches  !  and  what  a  prosperous  future  history 
their  annals  will  become,  if,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
they  resolve  to  embrace  their  opportunities  ! 


J.  F.  W. 


22,  Western  Road, 

St.  Leonards-on-8ea. 


YORUBAN  CHARMS. 


CONTENTS 


CHAP. 

I.    THE   MAN 


II.    THE   PIONEERS 


III.  IN   THE   BREACH        .  .  .  . 

IV.  A   MISSIONARY    JOURNEY 
V.  A   TRIAL   OF   PATIENCE       . 

VI.  THE    CITY    OF    BLOOD 

VII.    LABOURS   ABUNDANT  ;    SORROWS   OFF 

7 


rA(.ii 

9 


17 

3l' 
40 

48 
57 
69 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHA    . 

VIII.    PLANTING   THE   CHURCH   IN   ASHANTI 
IX.   IN   THE   EGBA   METROPOLIS 
X.    IN   THE    COUNTRY    OF   THE   AMAZONS 
XI.    PERILS   AND   CONQUESTS  . 

XII.    SUNSHINE   AND    SHADOW  . 

XIII.  GATHERING   IN   THE   SHEAVES    . 

XIV.  JUBILEE   AND    GLORY 


PAGE 

81 
93 

106 
119 
132 
141 
150 


TWYi'OUD   CHURCH. 


THOMAS    BIRCH    FREEMAN 

/iDissionav^?  pioneer  to  Hsbantl,  etc* 


CHAPTER   I. 


THE    MAN. 

ABOUT  tLree  miles  from  the  ancient  city  of 
AViiichester  Hes  the  picturesque  vilhige  of  Twy- 
ford,  which  has  been  named  by  some  topographers 
"  the  queen  of  viHages."  Whatever  may  be  its  merits 
in  i)oint  of  beauty,  there  can  be  no  question  as  to  its 
antiquity  ;  for  (piite  recently  interesting  remains  of  a 
Koman  village  have  been  discovered  within  a  few  feet 
of  the  surface  of  the  ground.  And  though  the  old 
church  has  been  repaired  and  modernised,  the  ancient 
yew  tree  with  its  uni(pie  cone-sha})ed  head  remains, 
a  much-])rized  object  of  interest,  as  it  probably  has 
been  for  hundreds  of  years. 


lo  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

It  was  in  this  ancient  village  that  Thomas  Birch 
Freeman  first  saw  the  light  on  November  29th,  1809. 

Qnite  a  romance  has  gathered  about  the  parentage 
of  this  remarkable  man,  the  chief  points  of  which 
have  received  confirmation  from  an  old  inhabitant 
who  knew  the  subject  of  this  memoir.  His  father  was 
a  slave,  but  against  his  supposed  West  Indian  origin 
the  son  strongly  protested.  Whether  it  be  true  that 
the  father  of  Thomas  Freeman  was  brought  to  England 
as  a  reward  for  his  fidelity  in  the  time  of  a  slave- 
rising  or  not,  the  following  has  received  no  denial.  At 
the  home  of  his  master  he  married  a  European  serving- 
woman  of  the  household,  the  subject  of  our  sketch 
being  the  only  issue  of  the  marriage.  At  the  tender 
age  of  six  his  father  died,  and  his  mother  remarried. 
We  have  failed  to  trace  the  children  of  the  second 
marriage,  but  it  is  asserted  that  there  are  some  half- 
brothers,  who  might  furnish  many  interesting  circum- 
stances of  this  period.  The  fatherless  boy  grew  into 
youth  under  the  roof  of  his  father's  master,  whose 
name  he  took,  "  Freeman  "  being  added  as  an  appro- 
priate surname  for  one  whose  father  had  obtained 
freedom  under  the  Emancipation  Act. 

John  Birch  lived  in  a  middle-class  house  facing  a 
three-cornered  space,  a  public-house,  "  The  Dolphin," 
occupying  the  second,  and  a  cottage,  then  used  as  the 
Wesleyan  preaching-house,  the  third  corner  of  the 
triangle.  The  preaching-house,  which  was  the  resi- 
dence of  a  shoemaker,  has  long  since  been  removed 
to  make  room  for  a  more  modern  structure  ;  the  shoe- 
maker too,  who  was  the  Methodist  class-leader  of 
the  village,  died  some  twenty-five  years  ago.  The 
public-house  and  John  Birch's  house,  in  which  Freeman 
was  born,  still  remain. 

Twyford  was  embraced  in  those  days  in  the 
Winchester  Circuit  of  the  AVesleyan  Methodist  Church, 
the  little  thatched  cottage  being  regularly  visited  by 
the  preachers  of  that  Connexion  for  the  holding  of 
a   simple  religious   service   for   the   pious   villagers  ; 


THE  MAN.  II 

whilst  the  devoted  shoemaker  did  his  part,  as  in 
hundreds  of  cases  in  English  villages,  all  the  week 
through,  gratuitously  acting  as  jjastor,  giving  helpful 
counsel  and  advice  to  all  who  cared  to  join  the  little 
company. 

The  humble  thatched  cottage  not  only  became  an 
object  of  interest  to  many  who  received  there  spiritual 
instruction  from  the  humble  lay-preachers  and  the 
godly  shoemaker,  but  it  was  an  object  of  curiosity  and 
a  centre  for  mischief  for  the  village  youths,  Thomas 
being  one  of  the  number.  The  roof  and  chimney  of 
the  cottage  were  about  the  height  of  a  wall  that 
protected  it  from  the  roadway,  which  was  on  a  higher 
elevation.  To  annoy  the  worshippers  Freeman  and  his 
companions  would  climb  upon  the  roof,  tie  a  brick  to 
a  string,  put  it  down  the  chimney,  and  continue  to  draw 
it  up  and  down,  greatly  to  the  distraction  of  those 
engaged  in  devout  exercises.  One  Sunday  evening, 
reaching  the  cottage  earlier  than  his  mischievous 
comrades,  he  listened  through  the  keyhole,  and  heard 
words  that  were  not  only  the  means  of  his  conversion, 
but  which  influenced  his  whole  after  life.  A  native  of 
the  village  connected  with  the  little  cottage-church, 
who  has  been  an  honoured  lay-preacher  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  furnished  this  particular,  and  adds  that 
it  was  a  matter  of  remembrance  and  rejoicing  amongst 
the  earlier  Methodists  of  the  parish. 

A  neat  modern  sanctuary  in  another  part  of  the 
village,  dedicated  to  public  worship  on  New  Year's 
Day  1851  under  the  auspices  of  the  Free  Methodists, 
is  the  substantial  outcome  of  the  humble  cottage 
and  its  simple  services,  and  will  stand  as  evidence  of 
a  continuance  of  the  gracious  influences  that  gathered 
about  the  godly  shoemaker  and  the  early  village 
Methodists. 

At  precisely  what  age  this  crisis  in  Freeman's 
life  took  place  we  are  imable  to  state,  but  subse- 
quent events  indicate  that  he  allied  himself  to  the 
Church  from  which  lie  had  received  spiritual  benefit. 


12  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

and  soon  began  to  exercise  Iiis  talents  as  a  preacher. 
About  those  early  days  he  was  unnecessarily  reticent, 
not  even  permitting  the  members  of  his  own  family 
to  break  through  the  secrecy  with  which  he  sur- 
rounded this  and  the  earlier  periods  of  his  life.  It 
was  possibly  the  remembrance  of  his  father's  servitude 
that  galled  his  sensitive  nature  and  made  him  so  silent, 
but  the  honourable  position  to  which  he  afterwards 
attained  indicates  the  true  nobility  of  his  nature  ;  and 
upon  him  the  circumstances  of  his  birth  leave  no 
mark  of  shame  :  the  brand  is  upon  a  nation  which 
permitted  to  so  late  a  date  such  a  degrading  condition 
of  things. 

John  Birch,  however,  was  no  harsh  master,  and 
evidently  afforded  a  liberal  education  and  training  to 
the  youth  ;  for  soon  after  we  find  him  occupying  the 
responsible  position  of  botanist  and  head  gardener  on 
the  estate  of  Sir  Robert  Harlaud  at  Orwell  Park, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Orwell,  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Ij^swich. 

Sir  Robert  Harlaud  ai)pears  to  have  taken  great 
interest  in  the  young  man,  giving  him  facilities  for 
improving  his  education  and  for  the  acrpiirement  of  a 
special  knowledge  of  botany  and  horticulture,  which  he 
afterwards  turned  to  good  practical  account  in  Africa. 
One  of  his  old  friends  informs  us  that  she  remembers 
seeing  his  cosy  little  library  in  the  gardens  at  Orwell 
Park,  which  proves  that  his  spare  moments  were 
utilised  in  the  best  possible  manner.  Both  Sir  Robert 
and  Lady  Harlaud  showed  him  unusual  kindness  ;  but 
Avhen  it  became  known  that  he  had  connected  himself 
with  the  Methodists  of  the  neighbourhood,  it  aroused 
within  Sir  Robert's  breast  great  prejudice  and  the 
strongest  opposition.  He  could  not  brook  the  gossip 
I  of  his  aristocratic  friends  in  reference  to  his  Methodist 
gardener.  He  summoned  him  to  his  presence,  and 
informed  liim  that  lie  would  have  to  make  the  choice 
between  giving  uj)  his  preaching  or  his  situation,  and 
he  would  allow  him  a  month  to  think  the  matter  over. 


THE   MAN.  13 

The  young  man  consulted  liis  friends,  and  especially 
Mr.  Peter  Plill  of  Chehnondiston,  at  whose  house  he 
was  a  frequent  visitor,  and  for  wliom  and  his  family 
Freeman  retained  a  lifelong  affection.  He  soon  decided 
as  to  his  course  of  action  in  the  matter.  He  loved  his/ 
profession,  and  was  mucli  attached  to  his  kind  patrons  ; 
but  he  felt  that  his  first  duty  was  to  his  greater  Master 
and  His  work. 

At  the  end  of  the  month  the  young  gardener  sent  in 
his  resignation,  much  to  the  vexation  of  Lady  Harland, 
who  did  all  in  her  power  to  induce  him  to  change  his 
mind.  He  stood  firm  to  his  conscience  and  the  advice 
of  his  godly  friends.  A  few  aged  people  still  remain 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ipswich  and  in  the  village  of 
('helmondiston  to  testify  to  the  earnestness  and  the 
ability  of  the  ministrations  of  the  young  man  of  colour, 
and  also  to  tlie  fact  that  he  was  esteemed  and  beloved 
by  all  who  knew  him. 

As  already  stated,  in  Freeman's  veins  there  flowed 
African  blood,  and  the  story  of  the  ills  of  the  race 
with  their  long  o])pression,  and  the  appeals  which  at 
this  time  were  so  frequently  made  in  the  Methodist 
churches,  soon  stirred  within  his  fervid  heart  a  desire 
to  bear  the  message  of  the  Cross  to  his  father's  kindred, 
fin  the  year  1837  he  offered  his  services  to  the 
\  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  for  special  work  among 
the  people  to  whom  he  was  so  strangely  allied,  and 
was  summoned  at  once  to  London  for  interview  and 
consultation.  He  passed  a  satisfactory  examination 
before  a  special  committee  at  the  old  Wesleyan 
Mission-house  in  Hatton  Garden,  and  on  the  evening 
of  the  same  day  preached  a  'Hrial  sermon,"  when  the 
genial  Abraham  Farrar  was  present,  and  encouraged 
liim  by  his  affectionate  manner  and  kindly  face. 

In  reference  to  this  event  he  wrote  when  he  was 
a  veteran  in  tlie  mission  field  the  following  apprecia- 
tive paragraph :  "  My  brief  personal  acquaintance  with 
the  late  Rev.  Abraham  Farrar  left  an  impression  on 
mv  mind  wliich  is  as  fresli  at  this  day  as  it  was  in 


14  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

1837,  when  I  first  knew  him.  ...  He  was  appomted 
to  hear  me  preach  my  'trial  sermon'  in  Spitalfields 
Chapel.  ...  He  sat  on  that  occasion  in  a  side  pew 
down  on  my  left,  evidently  withdrawn  from  striking 
observation,  hnt  allowing  me  to  see  him ;  and  his 
conntenance  then,  as  on  all  other  occasions  when  we 
met,  beamed  on  me  with  an  affection  which  made  me 
feel  greatly  at  ease  in  his  presence  and  entirely  at 
home  ;  and  hence  in  after-life,  whenever  the  thonght 
of  gentlemanly  feeling  and  bearing,  and  elegance  of 
mind,  and  paternal  affection  associated  with  the  minis- 
terial character  has  occurred  to  me,  he  has  always 
been  the  heau  ideal  of  my  imagination." 

Those  who  afterwards  were  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  subject  of  our  biography  will  be  ready  to 
accord  to  him  the  credit  of  having  attained  in  after- 
years  to  his  ideal.  There  was  about  him  a  deference 
to  others,  a  courtesy  of  manner  and  bearing,  which, 
associated  with  the  fashion  of  his  dress,  reminded  us 
at  times,  in  his  old  age,  of  one  of  a  series  of  family 
pictures  in  an  ancient  country-house,  of  some  fine  old 
ancestor  with  gallant  pose  characteristic  of  the  gentle- 
man of  a  former  century. 

His  brief  interview  with  the  committee  of  the 
Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  resulted  in  his  imme- 
diate appointment  to  the  newly-formed  mission  on  the 
Gold  Coast,  Western  Africa  ;  and  in  keeping  with  a 
recent  decision  of  the  committee,  like  Wrigley  and 
Harrop,  his  predecessors  in  this  diificult  and  trying 
field,  he  was  advised  to  marry.  His  thoughts  went 
at  once  to  Miss  Boot,  the  lady  housekeeper  at  Orwell 
Park.  One  who  knew  this  lady,  and  her  sisters  also, 
intimately,  and  frequently  visited  her,  states  that 
"  she  was  a  charming  woman,  and  there  is  no  wonder 
she  was  chosen  for  his  wife  ;  and  we  knew  she  was 
devoted  to  him,  young  as  ive  were."  She  was  a 
cultured  English  lady  who  had  it  in  her  heart  to  do 
much  for  the  native  people  among  whom  her  lot  was 
to  be  cast,  and  whose  affections  she  rapidly  won. 


THE  MAN.  15 

Thus  our  yonng  missionary  and  his  bride  embarked 
on  tlie  sailing  sliip  Osborne  for  a  voyage  wliicli  was 
mucli  more  of  an  nndertaldno-  then  tlian  now.  It 
was  a  long,  tedions  ])assage,  arising  principally  from 
their  being  becalmed,  nnder  the  oppressive  heat  of  a 
tropical  snn,  for  the  space  of  thirty  days.  The  track 
is  now  so  well  known  across  the  Bay  of  Biscay  to 
Madeira  and  the  Canary  Islands,  and  then  skirting 
the  African  coast,  that  it  would  only  weary  the 
reader  to  relate  here  the  details  of  such  a  voyage. 
In  the  missionary  romance,  however,  which  he  wrote 
when  an  old  man,  he  evidently  embodied  his  im- 
pressions of  a  storm  in  the  dreaded  bay,  of  the  beanty 
and  fertility  of  Madeira,  tlie  grandenr  of  the  Peak 
of  Teneriffe,  with  sundry  phenomena  striking  to  a 
traveller  for  the  first  time  voyaging  to  Africa. 

He  gives  us  also  an  idea  of  his  occupations  and 
musings  on  board  ship,  all  of  which  gathered  about 
his  future  work,  and  his  consecration  to  such  a 
sublime  service,  which  he  thought  of  with  soberness 
and  joyful  anticipation.  The  following  is  quoted 
from  the  story  above  mentioned,  which  may  well  be 
an  extract  taken  from  his  journal,  referring  to  the 
approach  of  the  shij)  to  Madeira  :  — 

"  The  air  seems  almost  fragrant,  and  so  soft  and 
healthful,  that  I  have  been  leaning  over  the  bulwarks 
looking  at  the  beautiful  phosphoric  light  as  late  as 
10  p.m.  without  the  least  sensation  of  cold.  Hail ! 
peaceful  hours  of  meditative  thought  !  I  luxuriate 
in  your  temperate  sweets.  It  is  at  such  times  as 
these  that  faith  climbs  the  ladder  of  Jacob,  and  the 
exalted  sympathies  of  the  soul  pierce  beyond  the 
boundaries  of  time  and  wander  in  eternity.  Oh,  for 
that  complete  control  over  every  feeling,  every  passion, 
that  I  may  be  able  to  catch  every  wind  which  will 
waft  me  forward  over  the  ocean  of  sacred  knowledge 
which  lies  expanded  before  me  !  Oh,  ye  walks  of 
Divine  science,  I  see,  I  see  your  vast,  your  boundless 
stores  of   holy    fruit  and  balmy  nectar,  such   as  can 


i6 


THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 


satisfy  ethereal  natures  !  Oli,  my  God,  help  me  daily 
to  eat  and  drink  and  live  for  eternity  !  " 

Later  in  the  jonrnal  he  writes  : — 

"  Piirsning  my  Biblical  studies,  and  delighted  with 
the  many  pleasing  wonders  which  burst  upon  my 
mental  vision.  How  beautiful  is  the  harmony  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures  !  God  of  my  life,  sanctify  me 
through  Thy  truth  !  Oh,  help  me  to  dive  deeply  into 
its  sacred  mysteries,  and  to  become  mighty  in  the 
Scriptures  !  Let  their  sublime  truths  constantly 
occupy  and  influence  my  spirit,  that  I  may  prove,  day 
by  day,  that  the  blessed  gospel  is  indeed  the  power  of 
God  unto  salvation." 


CHAPTER    II. 


THE    PIONEEllS. 


THE  Gold  Coast  of  Western  Africa  has  been  more 
or  less  familiar  to  Englishmen  for  some  three 
hnndrccl  years.  Onr  earliest  connection  therewith 
was  not  of  such  a  character  as  to  canse  us  great 
satisfaction.  In  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth  our 
daring  sailors  had  discovered  that  great  wealth  was 
to  be  obtained  not  only  from  the  precious  metal  after 
which  the  country  is  named,  but  more  particularly 
from  the  accursed  slave  trade  ;  and  Her  Majesty's 
consent  was  sought  and  was  reluctantly  given  for  the 
continuation  of  the  nefarious  traffic  by  an  association 
which  finally  developed  into  "  The  Royal  African 
Company  of  England." 

Those  were  the  days  of  piracy  on  the  high  seas, 
when  the  hardy  freebooters  knew  no  right  but  might  ; 
and  on  that  African  seaboard,  cursed  and  blessed  in 
turn  by  the  invasion  of  Eur()])ean  adventurers,  the 
renowned  sailors  of  both  the  Portuguese  and  Dutch 

i7  2 


1 8  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

were  brought  into  competition  with  the  bold  sea- 
kings  of  England.  For  a  long  series  of  years  great 
and  bitter  rivalry  existed  between  these  nations  for 
the  ascendency  over  this  strip  of  country  in  the  Bight 
of  Benin,  till  within  the  last  twenty  years  the  cession 
of  the  Dutch  fort  and  town  of  Elmina,  with  the 
famous  De  Ruyter's  staff,  has  given  England  the 
supremacy,  and  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  now 
well-known  Crown  colony  of  the  Gold  Coast. 

Portuguese  influence  is  not,  however,  likely  to  be 
forgotten,  inasmuch  as  the  names  bestowed  by  them 
U23on  many  of  the  towns  and  jDoints  of  land  have 
gained  permanence,  as  indeed  have  also  many  terms 
woven  into  the  native  tongue.  Cabo  Cor  so,  now 
corrupted  and  anglicised  into  Cape  Coast,  was  the 
name  given  to  the  point  of  land  upon  which  the 
Portuguese  built  a  fortress  used  chiefly  as  a  strong 
slavehold.  This  historic  castle  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  Dutch,  who  were  subsequently  dislodged  by  the 
English  in  1661.  They  enlarged  and  strengthened  it, 
retaining  its  possession  to  this  day.  The  great  white- 
turreted  castle  built  upon  the  black  rock,  over  which 
the  surf  breaks  into  foam,  is  still  the  most  prominent 
object  to  catch  the  eye  of  the  sailor  as  he  passes  the 
seaboard  town  of  Cape  Coast.  Within  its  walls — 
at  first  garrisoned  by  the  servants  of  the  Trading 
Company,  then  by  a  small  contingent  of  West  Indian 
troops — a  company  of  armed  native  Houssa  police, 
officered  by  Englishmen,  has  more  recently  been 
quartered.  Here  formerly  the  President,  and  since 
then  the  Governor,  of  the  Gold  Coast  lived,  and  on 
this  building  is  concentrated  a  history  which  is  alike 
tragic  and  pathetic.  A  true  record  of  its  upbuilding 
and  maintenance  would  present  the  chief  facts  of  the 
history  of  the  town  and  people  for  the  last  five 
hundred  years.  The  history  of  its  religious  life  too, 
as  far  as  Christian  missions  are  concerned,  takes  its 
rise  within  the  stone  walls  of  the  castle. 

With    a    strange    inconsistency    the    Englishman, 


20  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

especially  in  the  early  clays  with  which  we  now  deal, 
entered  upon  his  piracy  and  his  slave-dealing  uncon- 
scious of  his  wrong-doing,  and  he  was  careful  to  say 
his  prayers  both  before  and  after  his  dishonest  acts  ; 
and  when  a  company  was  sufficiently  large  and 
wealthy  to  do  so,  it  was  regarded  as  a  legitimate  part 
of  the  business  to  employ  a  chaplain  to  say  prayers 
for  its  members.  Probably  many  will  see  little  to 
choose  between  the  inconsistency  of  these  hard-handed 
traders  and  sailors  and  the  slave-holding  Christian 
backed  by  his  parson  in  the  Southern  States  of 
America  less  than  half  a  century  ago,  or  the  modern 
powers  whose  chaplains  pray  for  a  blessing  before 
entering  upon  the  carnage  of  a  battle-field.  Thus  we 
find  these  traders  in  native  produce  and  "  living 
ebony  "  were  in  the  habit  of  receiving  a  chaplain  at 
Cape  Coast  Castle,  under  whose  ministrations  and 
prayers  their  trading  transactions  might  appear  to 
have  the  sanction  of  Heaven  ;  and  out  of  this  custom 
grew  a  greater  blessing  to  the  country  than  could 
have  been  dreamed  of  by  the  most  sanguine 
philanthro^nst. 

To  one  of  these  chaplains — a  missionary  of  the 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign 
Parts — must  be  accorded  the  honour  of  making  the 
first  attempt  to  introduce  the  blessings  of  the  Christian 
religion  to  the  natives.  This  was  in  the  year  1751. 
To  his  honour  it  must  be  stated  that  it  appears  as  if 
the  chaplaincy  were  not  his  primary  object ;  but  it  is 
evident  that  his  official  position  in  the  castle  gave 
him  an  opportunity  of  carrying  forward  a  work  which 
could  not  have  come  to  him  otherwise.  This  chaplain, 
the  Eev.  Thomas  Thompson,  M.A.,  who  had  already 
spent  five  years  in  America  under  the  auspices  of 
the  renowned  Society,  obtained  permission  from  the 
directors  to  proceed  to  the  Gold  Coast  in  order  "  to 
make  a  trial  with  the  natives,  and  see  what  hope  there 
would  be  of  introducing  among  them  the  Christian 
religion."     After  four  years  of  toil  his  health  gave 


THE  PIONEERS.  21 

way,  and  lio  retnrnod  to  England  much  discouraged 
witli  the  rosnlt  of  liis  attempt. 

He  had,  however,  sent  two  native  youths  to  England 
to  be  trained,  one  of  whom,  Philip  Qnaque,  graduated 
at  the  University,  Oxford,  and  returned  to  continue 
the  work  Thom])son  had  begun  ;  and  for  fifty  years  he 
faithfully  discharged  his  duty.  Within  the  castle  a 
memorial  of  this  man  may  be  seen,  with  the  following 
epitaph  :  "  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Philip  Quaque, 
native  of  this  country,  wlio,  having  been  sent  to 
England  for  education,  received  holy  orders  1765, 
aiul  was  here  employed  upwards  of  fifty  years  as 
Missionary  from  the  Incorporated  Society  for  the 
Proj)agation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts,  and  as 
C'haplain  to  the  Factory.  He  died  17  October,  1816, 
aged  75  years.  The  African  (/Ompany,  in  token 
of  the  approbation  of  his  long  and  laithfnl  services, 
have  placed  this  memorial  on  his  mortal  remains, 
1817." 

The  calumnious  report  that  at  the  very  last  he 
lapsed  into  heathenism  may  be  safely  dismissed  to 
tlie  limbo  of  ill-natured  reports  which  have  been 
so  diligently  proi)agated  by  numerous  traducers  of 
the  Christian  missionary'  on  the  western  coast  of 
Africa. 

The  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  sent 
four  Europeans  in  rapid  succession  to  continue  the 
work,  three  of  whom  died  ;  and  tlie  fourth  after  failure 
of  health  returned  to  England.  The  Gold  Coast, 
however,  remained  on  the  Society's  list  till  1826,  and 
as  late  as  1841^  the  directors  had  not  given  up  hope  of 
resuming  the  work,  and  still  felt  that  the  natives  had 
''claims  upon  them."  But  as  no  volunteers  for  this 
dangerous  post  were  forthcoming,  the  Society  was  un- 
able to  reoccupy  the  position.  It  therefore  graciously 
stepped  aside,  and  permitted  the  Wesleyan  Missionary 
Society  to  occupy  the  position  without  interference 
or  jealousy. 

To  all  appearance  the  work  of  three-quarters  of  a 


22  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN, 

centnry  was  unproductive  ;  but  the  faithful  labourers 
had  sown  the  seed  of  which  the  harvest  is  being- 
reaped  to-day.  They  had  nurtured  the  school  held 
within  the  walls  of  the  castle,  which  had  developed 
into  the  institution  known  as  the  Government  School ; 
and  there  the  lads  had  been  taught  to  read  the 
English  Bible,  a  coj)y  of  which  was  presented  to  each 
youth  on  leaving.  Administrators  like  the  genial  and 
gifted  President  George  Maclean  gave  the  modest 
institution  the  benefit  of  their  powerful  influence, 
delighting  to  promote  the  moral  and  intellectual 
interests  of  the  natives.     Thus  the  spark  was  fanned. 

Some  of  these  lads  became  genuine  students  of  the 
Bible,  its  Oriental  stories  fascinating  them,  and  the 
New  Testament  portrayal  of  their  inner  life  con- 
vincing them  of  its  Divinity.  The  Scriptures  were 
carefully  examined,  and  portions  committed  to  memory, 
with  the  result  that  some  of  the  students  were  brought 
to  a  sense  of  their  sinfulness  and  need  of  God.  In 
their  perplexity  they  repaired  for  counsel  to  a  Scotch 
trader,  William  Topp,  whom  they  believed  to  be 
religiously  disposed.  By  his  advice  they  formed  a 
^^  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,"  faith- 
fully living  up  to  the  rules  which  they  made  for  their 
guidance,  and  meeting  regularly  once  a  week  to  study 
the  Scriptures  and  pray  for  light  and  leading.  Down 
to  a  very  recent  period  a  few  of  the  members  of  thivS 
little  band  remained  ;  and  fifty  years  later  one  at 
least  was  spending  quietly,  in  his  old  age,  a  well- 
earned  rest  from  the  activities  of  a  long  ministry  in  tlie 
native  Church. 

That  native  ''  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Know- 
ledge," in  its  spontaneous  formation  and  its  subsequent 
results,  is  surely  a  wonderful  testimony  to  the  fidelity 
and  fruitfulness  of  the  work  done  and  apparently  lost 
by  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  tlie  Gospel,  and 
is  in  itself  a  theme  upon  which  one  might  dwell  at 
great  length  as  to  the  result  of  honest  work  and  the 
marvellous  fecundity  of  "  the  good  seed."     And  what 


THE   PIONEERS,  23 

a  rebuke  it  administers  to  missionary  despondency, 
and  to  the  hasty  conchisions  we  sometimes  arrive  at 
in  relation  to  missionary  work  !  That  little  Society 
was  formed  in  1830  or  1831,  when  the  natives  had 
been  for  some  years  without  the  guidance  of  a  mis- 
sionary and  the  castle  witliout  a  chaplain. 

The  aged  native  minister  to  whom  reference  has 
just  been  made,  the  late  E.  J.  Fynn,  recently  related 
an  incident  which  is  interesting  as  a  record  of  the 
earliest  persecution  of  this  little  Christian  band. 
Some  of  the  "  castle  people  "  entertained  a  dislike  for 
the  little  company  with  their  primitive  methods  of 
worship,  and  raised  a  calumnious  report  accusing  them 
of  dangerous  political  designs,  taking  care  that  the 
rumour  should  reach  the  ear  of  President  Maclean. 
Immediate  steps  were  taken  to  suppress  the  Society  ; 
the  leader,  William  De  Graft,  was  imprisoned,  and 
the  rest  were  threatened  with  a  fine  ;  whereupon  the 
members,  after  taking  counsel  together,  sent  a  copy 
of  the  Scriptures,  which  he  himself  had  presented  to 
one  of  them,  and  most  courteously  requested  the 
President  to  point  out  in  his  own  gift,  which  he  had 
backed  by  good  advice,  his  authority  for  the  infliction 
of  punishment  and  fine  for  the  reading  of  such  a  book. 
This  appeared  to  be  contumacious,  but  was  not  so 
intended,  and  the  whole  band  was  cast  into  prison  ; 
whereupon,  with  the  Paul  and  Silas  spirit  already 
develoi)ing  among  them,  these  Fanti  Christians  prayed 
and  sang  aloud.  The  President  was  not  likely  to 
be  unjust,  and  when  on  inquiry  he  discovered  they 
were  innocent  of  the  grave  charges  made  against  them 
they  were  released,  and  they  secured  his  powerful 
influence  and  lasting  friendship.  Thus  their  trouble 
turned  out  for  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel. 

The  exigencies  of  life  in  the  course  of  a  few  years 
scattered  this  little  band,  some  in  one  direction,  some 
in  another,  as  traders  and  clerks  and  mechanics. 
William  De  Graft,  their  leader,  took  up  his  residence 
at  Dixcove  as  a  trader.     The  little  remnant  at  Cape 


24  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

Coast,  finding-  tlieir  stock  of  Bibles  running  short, 
commnnicated  with  him,  requesting  that  he  would 
obtain  the  help  and  sympathy  of  some  suitable  person 
to  secure  a  fresli  supply  of  Scriptures  from  England. 
Soon  after,  the  oi)portunity  presented  itself  by  the 
arrival  of  the  Bristol  trading  barque  Congo,  the  captain 
of  which  was  named  Potter,  and  with  whom  De  Graft 
had  transactions. 

Captain  Potter  was  a  member  of  the  Wesleyan 
Church  at  Bristol,  and  was  not  a  little  surprised  and 
interested  to  receive  a  commission  for  Bibles.  He 
made  it  his  business  to  visit  the  little  Christian 
community  at  Cape  Coast,  joining  the  members  at 
one  of  their  weekly  gatherings  for  Scripture-reading 
and  prayer.  He  not  only  expressed  his  willingness 
to  obtain  a  supply  of  Bibles,  but,  to  their  immense 
satisfaction,  to  be  the  bearer  to  England  of  their 
earnest  request  for  the  appointment  of  an  English 
missionary.  John  Aggery,  who  was  subsequently  king 
of  Ca])e  Coast,  was  one  of  the  numl)er  who  appealed 
to  Captain  Potter  to  secure  for  them  a  missionary. 

In  consequence  of  forsaking  the  fetish  of  his  country 
he  had  been  cut  oif  from  the  succession  to  the  chieftain- 
ship, and  he  and  his  companions  were  publicly  flogged. 
But  such  a  change  was  produced  by  missionary  effort 
in  the  country  that  within  thirty  years  he  was  elected 
sovereign,  and  at  the  Church  anniversary  in  1864 
he  publicly  acknowledged  his  sense  of  obligation  to 
Christianity,  and  declared  that  his  object  should  hence- 
forth be  to  promote  the  educational  and  spiritual  im- 
provement of  the  people.* 

The  captain,  on  reporting  himself  to  the  President, 
related  all  he  knew,  and  stated  his  intention  of 
securing  the  interest  of  the  Christians  of  England  on 
behalf  of  the  little  company.  President  Maclean  is 
re])orted  to  have  replied  :  *'  If  you  propose  to  obtain 
a  missionary,  I  would  advise  one  of  the  Methodist 
communion;  for  these  people  with  their  fervour  remind 
*  "  Annual  Report  of  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society,  18G5." 


26  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

me  mucli  of  the  members  of  that  Church  in  England." 
Such  a  recommendation  was  not  likely  to  be  lost  upon 
the  godly  Methodist  captain.  When  once  more  his 
ship  arrived  in  the  Bristol  dock,  and  he  was  free  to 
communicate  with  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society, 
he  delivered  the  message  from  these  simple-minded 
Africans.  At  the  same  time  he  offered  to  take  on 
his  next  voyage  a  suitable  man,  whom  the  directors 
might  select,  free  of  charge  ;  and  to  bring  him  back 
on  the  same  terms,  should  he  find  it  impracticable  to 
establish  a  mission  during  the  time  of  the  captain's 
stay,  which  was  sometimes  prolonged  over  many 
months,  on  account  of  his  trading  transactions  with 
the  natives. 

The  offer  was  gladly  accepted,  and  the  pioneer  was 
selected  in  the  person  of  Joseph  Rhodes  Dunwell,  a 
sturdy  Yorkshireman,  the  story  of  whose  life  does  not 
belong  to  our  present  narrative.  The  young  men, 
whose  request  had  thus  been  so  fully  met,  gladly 
placed  themselves  under  his  direction  and  care,  and 
on  the  first  Sabbath  after  he  landed,  January  4th,  1835, 
Dunwell  began  his  public  ministry  at  Cape  Coast. 
He  found  already  formed  in  the  regular  weekly 
meeting  the  peculiar  conditions  of  Christian  fellow- 
ship insisted  upon  by  the  Methodist  Church  as  a  test 
of  membershi}),  and  upon  that  foundation  it  was 
comparatively  easy  to  build,  which  he  did  as  a  wise 
master-builder.  The  first  congregation  to  which 
Dunwell  preached  was  composed  of  the  band  of  young 
men  referred  to  and  a  few  others,  and  he  thus  de- 
scribes it  :  ''  The  deepest  attention  was  manifested  ; 
joy  beamed  on  every  countenance  "  ;  and  then  adds, 
"Their  gratitude  is  without  bounds,  and  they  say, 
'•  We  did  never  think  of  the  missionary's  coming  to 
teach  black  man.' "  The  little  Church,  beginning 
with  upwards  of  fifty  adherents,  under  the  direction  of 
this  earnest  servant  of  God  rapidly  increased  ;  but  to 
the  intense  sorrow  of  all,  and  the  dismay  of  the  little 
community,  the  unhealthy  climate  claimed  him  as  a 


THE  PIONEERS.  27 

victim  within  six  months  of  his  landing,  and  he  passed 
away  to  his  reward  on  June  24th,  1835. 

The  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society,  "unable  to 
reconcile  with  their  conviction  of  duty  the  abandon- 
ment of  a  work  which  had  been  so  auspiciously  begun," 
resolved  to  send  two  married  missionaries,  "  on  the 
principle  that  the  interests  of  a  mission  in  such  a 
climate  as  that  of  Western  Africa  ought  not  to  be  left 
to  the  care  of  one,  .  .  .  and  that  their  wives  might 
attend  to  the  improvement  of  the  native  females." 
Such  a  resolution,  it  may  be  understood,  gave  un- 
bounded joy  to  the  bereaved  Church.  A  young 
Lancashire  man,  George  0.  Wrigley,  with  his  recently 
wedded  wife,  sailed  on  August  12th,  183G.  With  great 
energy  he  applied  himself  to  the  work  of  acquiring 
the  language,  and  laid  the  foundations  of  a  large  and 
commodious  place  of  worship,  the  beginning  of  the 
present  stable  building  ;  whilst  his  wife  gathered  about 
her  for  instruction  the  native  girls  and  young  women. 
They  continued  their  hazardous  toil  for  four  months, 
when  it  was  their  joy  to  welcome  a  young  Derbyshire 
man,  Peter  Harrop,  and  his  wife. 

But  within  a  few  weeks  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harrop  and 
Mrs.  Wrigley  died  from  the  effects  of  the  climate,  and 
Wrigley  was  left  alone.  This  is  an  epoch  of  tragic 
interest  in  the  mission,  and  even  at  this  distance  of 
time  one  can  scarcely  read  the  pathetic  story  told  by 
the  surviving  and  solitary  missionary  without  tears. 
It  is  not  surprising  that  he  writes,  just  from  the 
graves  of  his  companions,  "  This  is  indeed  a  land  of 
death." 

He  buried  his  sorrow,  however,  in  prodigious  labour, 
applying  himself  with  greater  devotion  than  ever  to 
the  work  of  the  mission.  "  Your  mission,"  he  wrote 
to  the  secretaries  of  the  Society,  "  will  feel  the  loss 
severely.  The  natives  here,  especially  the  females, 
are  in  a  most  depraved  and  degraded  state.  The 
persevering  efforts  of  my  beloved  partner  had  done 
much  on  their   behalf ;   the  girls'   school  was    more 


28  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

prosperous  than  it  ever  had  been  at  the  time  of  her 
death,  and  her  three  classes  of  females  were  jnst 
beginning  to  reap  the  benefit  of  her  pions  instructions, 
two  of  them  raised  by  herself,  when,  alas  !  all  was 
stopped.  I  am  keeping  the  school  together  as  well  as 
I  can  until  you  send  more  help.  Surely  others  will 
be  found  to  occupy  the  places  of  those  who  are  goue  ! 
There  is  indeed  a  large  harvest  of  souls  waiting  to 
be  gathered  in  here  ;  but  everything  outwardly  seems 
opposed  to  its  accomplishment.  Nevertheless,  I  will 
not  despair.  I  will  yet  hope  to  see  better  days  in 
Cape  Coast.  The  departure  of  our  friends  has  raised 
various  opinions  among  the  natives,  some  of  which 
among  the  baser  sort  are  not  of  the  most  friendly 
nature  to  the  cause  of  truth.  Pray  do  send  me 
assistance  as  soon  as  possible  !  I  have  also  again  to 
urge  the  sending  of  a  quantity  of  elementary  and  other 
books  for  schools  ;  they  are  much  wanted.  Three 
boys'  schools  may  be  commenced  immediately,  and 
also  a  few  Sunday-schools  in  the  small  villages 
surrounding  Cape  Coast.  I  cannot  stir  without  books, 
and  I  do  hope  the  committee  will  send  them.  I  have 
also  again  to  urge  the  immediate  reinforcement  of  the 
mission.  What  is  one  single  individual  among  so 
many  ?  I  hope,  notwithstanding  the  sad  news  which 
these  sheets  will  communicate,  that  others  will  be 
found  to  fill  up  the  ranks,  and  in  the  sj)irit  of  one  now 
slumbering  alongside  the  dust  of  Harriet  Newell*  in 
the  Isle  of  France,  '  Come  to  this  hell,  if  it  be  even 
to  die  here.'  I  hope  in  reference  to  myself,  in  the 
midst  of  my  discouragements, — and  I  have  them 
from  a  variety  of  quarters, — that  I  can  say,  ^  Neither 
death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor 
powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor 

*  A  devoted  American  missionary  who  died  at  the  early  age 
of  nineteen.  "  She  is  interred  in  a  retired  spot  in  the  burying 
ground  in  Port  Louis  (Mauritius),  under  the  shadow  of  an 
evergreen."  The  missionary  Sargent,  to  whom  this  saying  is 
attributed,  lies  by  her  side. 


THE  PIONEERS.  29 

height,  uor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be 
able  to  separate  me  from  the  love  of  God  which  is  in 
(Uirist  Jesus,'  and  from  my  work  in  this  section  of 
the  mission  field  until  my  appointed  time." 

This  is  not  tlie  language  of  defeat  or  despair.  A 
man  like  that  is  not  easily  beaten.  He  wiped  away 
his  tears  and  went  to  work. 

Already  there  was  a  call  from  Ashanti  that  had 
come  in  the  montli  of  January.  One  of  the  members  of 
Wrigley's  flock  had  been  residing  in  Coomassie,  where 
he  was  visited  by  the  royal  princes,  with  whom  he  had 
often  i)rayed  and  conversed  on  religious  matters  ;  and 
on  Christmas  Day  he  and  a  few  others,  by  request  of 
the  king,  had  conducted  religious  worship  in  the 
palace.  Wrigley's  sympathies  were  drawn  towards 
this  benighted  kingdom,  but  he  was  never  i)ermitted 
to  do  more  than  urge  its  claims  upon  others  and 
pray  for  it.  What  with  his  cha2)el-building,  visita- 
tions, preaching,  and  teaching,  he  was  "in  labours 
more  abundant "  ;  and  he  continued  to  manifest  this 
earnest  spirit  in  the  work  of  his  Divine  Master  till 
early  in  the  month  of  November,  when,  returning  from 
Anamabu  by  water,  he  was  smitten  with  a  fatal  illness, 
and  died  at  Cape  Coast  on  November  lOth,  1837, 
having  survived  his  wife  about  ten  months.  He  died 
as  he  had  lived  in  the  full  triumph  of  the  Christian 
faith,  and  devout  men  carried  him  to  his  burial,  the 
whole  town  mourning  his  loss.  The  testimony  to  his 
worth,  borne  by  his  brethren  in  the  Wesleyan  Methodist 
ministry,  found  expression  in  the  words  of  the  obituary 
in  the  Minutes  of  their  annual  Conference,  and  is 
one  which  any  true  servant  of  Christ  might  covet : 
"  He  entered  on  his  work  with  great  zeal  and  judg- 
ment, and  was  instrumental  in  the  conversion  of  many 
people  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ." 

Thus  the  deadly  climate  had  claimed  the  little 
pioneer  band,  and  when  the  last  of  the  standard- 
l3earers  fell  we  cannot  wonder  that  a  sense  of  desola- 
tion possessed  the  infant  Church.     The  great  conflict 


30 


THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 


in  Western  Africa  has  always  been  serious  ;  but  in 
those  first  days  it  was  heart-breaking  in  the  extreme, 
and  none  but  the  most  devoted  and  loyal  would  attempt 
to  lead  '^  the  forlorn  hope  "  and  maintain  the  position 
at  so  costly  a  sacrifice. 

It  was  just  at  this  juncture  that  Freeman  stepped 
into  the  breach,  less  than  seven  weeks  after  the  grave 
had  closed  over  the  remains  of  Wrigley.  No  flag  at 
half-mast  told  him  of  the  falling  of  so  brave  a  man  ; 
but  the  empty  rooms,  the  unfinished  task,  and  the 
tearful  voices  of  the  bereaved  members  of  the  Church 
were  part  of  the  greeting  of  our  hero  when  he  stepped 
ashore  and  prepared  for  work. 


BACK  VIEW  OF  MISSION-HOUSE,   CAPE   COAST, 


CHAPTER    III 


IN    THE   BREACH. 


MR.  and  Mrs.  Freeman  landed  at  Cape  Coast  on 
January  3rd,  1838,  expecting  a  welcome  from 
tlie  missionary  Wrigley,  wliose  voice  had  been  silent 
in  deatli  for  some  weeks.  We  can  well  imagine  Mr. 
Freeman's  dismay  at  finding  himself  and  his  yonng 
wife  thus  suddenly  face  to  face  with  the  great  respon- 
sibilities of  the  entire  management  of  this  important 
mission.  The  members  of  the  native  Church,  who  had 
j)assed  through  such  a  series  of  trying  bereavements 
with  the  light-heartedness  which  is  so  marked  a 
feature  in  the  African  character,  soon  found  their  tears 
giving  place  to  joy,  and  trooj^ing  in  from  various  parts 
they  gave  the  newcomers  an  open-armed  welcome. 

With  the  fervid  zeal  and  undaunted  hope  so  cha- 
racteristic of  Thomas  Birch  Freeman,  he  entered  upon 
his  holy  work,  gathering  up  the  loose  ends  and  un- 
ravelling the  tangled  threads,  and  doing  this  with  such 
clear  judgment  and  patience  that  all  were  filled  with 


32 


THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAA. 


confidence  in  the  young  missionary  who  had  at  this 
critical  juncture  succeeded  the  brave  men  so  recently 
passed  to  their  reward.  His  experience  at  this  time 
is  reflected  in  the  pages  of  his  little  book,  The  Mis- 
sionary Enterprise  no  Fiction.  "  The  circumstances 
of  a  Christian  missionary  recently  arrived  in  a  foreign 
and  uncivilised  country,"  says  he,  "  and  in  a  sickly 
and  dangerous  clime,  are  peculiarly  trying  and  difficult. 


GROUP   OF   FANTIS. 

Ko  man  arriving  in  the  same  region  for,  other  jjurposes 
can  possibly  be  placed  in  a  similar  situation.  .  .  . 
Arriving  in  a  pagan  conntry  from  a  land  of  Bibles, 
from  the  region  of  gospel  light  and  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  children  of  God,  he  experiences  a  thou- 
sand strange  sensations  as  he  moves  about  among 
a  people  given  to  idolatry.  ...  No  village  bell  sounds 
in  his  ear  its  hallowed  associations  '  with  thoughts 
that  speak  and  words  that  burn '  ;  he  sees  no  jjublicly 


IN  THE  BREACH.  33 

recognised  Sabbath.  The  fisherman  casts  his  net, 
and  the  husbandman  toils  on  his  farm  ;  the  carpenter 
works  at  his  bench,  and  tlie  mason  at  his  bnilding  ; 
and  the  j^^&^^^i  procession,  with  its  rude  band  of 
music  and  the  wild  intoxicated  dance,  j)arades  the 
street  on  the  first,  as  on  any  other  day  of  the  week. 
He  meets,  perhaps,  with  men  of  education  among  the 
l)C()ple  to  whom  he  has  come  ;  but  they,  alas  !  are  too 
many  of  them,  i)ractically,  pagans  still.  Upon  them 
the  light  of  knowledge  has  already  dawned  ;  but  it  has 
only  played  around  the  head,  it  has  not  afi:ected  the 
lieart.  He  meets  also,  perhaps,  with  some  of  his  own 
countrymen,  who  were  cradled  like  himself  amidst  all 
the  blessings  of  evangelical  light ;  but  they,  alas  ! 
have  lived  in  the  midst  of  corrupt  influences,  until,  far 
removed  from  all  the  helps  and  appliances  of  Christian 
conventionalities,  they  have  contracted  a  painful  and 
destructive  taint,  and  need  his  aid  and  sympathy  to 
expel  from  their  hearts  the  deadly  poison  of  moral 
corruptions.  On  every  hand,  therefore,  he  sees  around 
him  antagonistic  influences,  debasing  superstitions, 
and  exhibitions  of  evil  calculated  to  discourage,  to 
depress,  and  to  overwhelm  even  himself  unless 
perpetually  sustained  by  power  from  on  high." 

Tims  it  was  with  Thomas  Birch  Freeman  ;  and  as  he 
continues  his  reflections  we  see  the  portrait  of  himself. 

"Newly  arrived  in  the  burning  clime  of  torrid 
Africa,  now  comes  the  vital  and  anxious  question, 
AVill  he  stand  firmly  in  the  day  of  battle  ?  and  will 
he  eminently  endure  hardships  as  a  good  soldier  of 
Jesus  Christ,  as  '  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible '  ?  .  .  . 
Thousands  of  miles  from  his  home  and  friends,  and 
surrounded  by  a  perishing  people  who  have  not  seen 
the  heavenly  and  life-inspiring  vision,  he  has  no  human 
aid  at  hand,  no  earthly  friend  or  counsellor.  There  is 
neither  Aaron  nor  Hur  to  hold  up  his  hands,  and  aid 
and  sustain  him  in  the  conflict.  .  .  .  Happy,  indeed, 
for  him  that  he  can  say,  '  And  yet  I  am  not  alone,, 
because  the  Father  is  with  me.'     Now  comes  the  test 


34  ■    THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

of  his  faith  and  patience.  Like  the  husbandman,  he 
must  wait  for  the  precious  fruit,  and  have  long  patience 
until  ihoi  Lord  sends  the  early  and  refreshing  rain. 
Yes,  he  must  toil  on,  through  many  a  dark,  cloudy 
day,  ploughing  and  sowing  in  hope.  Bearer  of  the 
precious  seed,  he  will  doubtless  weep,  for  he  is  indeed 
in  the  vale  of  tears  ;  but  faith  beholds  in  the  distance 
the  time  of  rejoicing  amidst  the  fruit  of  a  glorious 
harvest.  .  .  .  Onward,  then,  our  beloved  missionary ! 
Onward,  lonely  messenger  of  mercy,  warrior  of  Messiah, 
greatly  valorous  !  AVhen  thy  hands  hang  down  and  thy 
spirit  droops,  remember  Cahary  ;  panting  under  the 
burning  heat  of  noon,  remember  Calvary  ;  and  should 
life  ebb  out,  a  solitary  wanderer  for  the  benefit  of 
mankind  in  a  pagan  land,  remember  Calvary,  Be 
this  thy  banner,  thy  watchword,  tliy  rallying-point, — 
yea,  be  this  thy  life,  to  remember  Calvary  :  Calvary 
with  its  dying  love  ;  Calvary  with  its  world-crucifying 
power  ;  Calvary  with  its  glorious  hopes  ;  Calvary  with 
its  wondrous  prospects  !  " 

Thus  wrote  Freeman,  when  an  old  man,  recalling 
this  early  time  in  his  history  ;  and  though  disguised 
under  another  name,  we  have  good  reason  to  know 
that  he  effectively  portrays  his  own  circumstances  and 
state  of  mind. 

Very  soon  his  manhood  and  Christian  fortitude  were 
put  to  a  severe  test.  Within  a  few  weeks  the  zealous 
young  missionary  was  smitten  down  by  the  dreaded 
malarious  fever,  then  commonly  spoken  of  as  the 
^'seasoning  fever";  an  ordeal  through  which  the 
stranger  with  very  few  exceptions  must  as  inevitably 
pass  as  must  children  through  the  whooi^ing-cough 
and  measles. 

In  those  early  days  "the  fever,"  which  was  usually 
of  the  intermittent  form,  proved  fearfully  f\xtal  ;  but, 
thanks  to  healthier  dwellings  and  surroundings  and 
a  more  skilful  treatment,  it  has  now  lost  much  of  its 
terror,  thougli  it  is  still  a  too  fatal  malady  on  the  west 
coast  of  Africa. 


IN  THE  BREACH.  35 

Wliile  watcliiiig  with  wifely  solicitude  tlie  sick-bed 
of  her  linsband,  who  now  regarded  it  as  a  s})ecial 
providence  that  his  partner  had  accompanied  him, 
Mrs.  Freeman  was  seized  with  a  violent  inflammatory 
com])laint,  which  terminated  her  life  in  a  few  hours, 
on  February  20th,  1838,  within  seven  weeks  of  her 
arrival.  Her  death  was  a  great  loss  to  the  mission, 
for  she  had  it  in  her  heart  to  do  much  for  the  native 
females,  and  all  classes  of  the  community  bore  testi- 
mony to  the  respect  she  had  gained  for  herself.  Once 
more  the  afflicted  Church  was  plun'^ed  into  mourning, 
and  the  joy  so  recently  manifested  on  tlie  arrival  of 
the  young  missionary  and  his  wife  gave  place  to  tears. 
Thus  in  the  first  three  years  of  the  mission  no  less  than 
six  precious  lives  had  been  laid  down  for  the  work,  and 
one  solitary  smitten  man  was  left  to  hold  the  fort  and 
fight  against  the  fearful  odds. 

Freeman  gradually  recovered  from  this  severe 
affliction,  and,  crushed  tliough  he  was  at  first  to  find 
himself  so  utterly  alone,  his  noble  spirit  soared  above 
his  personal  grief  and  loss.  He  girded  up  his  loins, 
took  a  stronger  grip  of  his  sword,  and  led  on  his  small 
army  to  victory.  How  bravely  and  well  he  did  his 
duty  is  the  business  of  these  pages  to  tell. 

The  first  imjiortant  work  needing  his  attention  was 
tlie  completion  of  the  Wesleyan  Church  at  Cape  Coast. 
He  found  a  large  portion  of  the  building  which  Wrigley 
and  Harrop  had  begun  had  been  washed  away  by  the 
heavy  rains.  The  work  of  rebuilding  Freeman  actually 
entered  upon  on  January  17th,  just  a  fortnight  after 
his  arrival ;  and  it  is  more  than  likely  that  it  was  this 
early  exposure  to  the  tropical  sun  which  j^rostrated 
him.  On  rising  from  his  sick-bed  he  resumed  the 
work,  and  by  the  end  of  April  the  walls  were  ready 
for  the  roof.  Many  of  the  natives  volunteered  their 
services  to  obtain  the  needful  material  to  repair  and 
cover  the  "  swish  "  walls  of  the  building.  No  fewer 
than  four  thousand  pieces  of  stone  had  been  brought 
from  the  distance  of  a  mile  for  the  purpose  of  re2)airing 


36 


THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 


the  LreacL.  The  collection  of  the  material  for  thatch- 
ing seems  to  have  been  a  joyous  and  simultaneous 
work.  Thus  we  find  it  recorded  that,  "  on  the  chosen 
day,  April  26th,  the  members  of  the  Church,  the 
scholars  of  our  own  and  those  of  the  Fort  School, 
were  busily  engaged  in  bringing  four  thousand  bundles 
of  grass,  from  a  place  six  miles  distant,  for  this 
jjurpose,  and  the  sacred  buildiag  was  comijleted,  for 
the  i^eojde  had  a  mind  to  work." 


^Ik: 


VIEW   OF   CAPE    COAST,   FEOM    MOUNT    HOPE    (WESLEYAN    CHURCH 
IN   BACKGROUND). 


On  June  10th  "Mr.  Freeman  had  the  satisfaction 
of  conducting  the  opening  service  in  a  substantial 
place  of  worship,  large  enough  to  accommodate  from 
seven  hundred  to  a  thousand  persons  on  the  ground 
floor.  Two  commodious  vestries  were  also  attached 
to  the  church." 

Since  that  time  galleries  have  been  built  right  round 
the  interior,  and  a  fine  scpiare  tower  erected,  in  which 
a  bell  and  an  illuminated  clock  have  been  placed.     The 


IN   THE   BREACH.  37 

l)nil(lin,2,-  occupies  a  commanding  site  on  an  elevated 
])osition  in  the  middle  of  the  town,  and  in  front  is  a 
line  open  sqnare.  Tims  it  is  one  of  tlie  most  prominent 
and  interesting  objects  of  tlie  town  ;  and,  now  hallowed 
by  half  a  century  of  blessed  memories,  and  the  scene 
of  many  spiritual  revivals,  though  since  that  time  it 
has  been  improved  and  beautified,  it  still  remains  a 
substantial  memorinl  of  the  labours  of  this  indefatigable 
man. 

The  first  service  was  attended  by  President  Maclean 
and  several  otlier  Europeans,  and  by  at  least  twelve 
hundred  natives  ;  for  those  who  were  not  able  to 
obtain  admission  within  the  edifice  crowded  round  the 
door  and  windows,  and  in  this  way  participated  in  the 
sacred  service.  The  President  and  otlier  English 
residents  contributed  handsomely  towards  defraying 
the  expenses  of  the  erection. 

On  September  3rd  of  the  same  year  the  first 
missionary  meeting  was  held  within  the  church, 
when  President  Maclean,  who  had  just  brought  his 
wife,  the  celebrated  poetess  L.  E.  L.,  from  England, 
and  who  had  taken  such  a  lively  interest  in  the 
establishment  of  the  mission,  presided,  contributing 
£25,  thus  swelling  the  collection  of  that  first  mis- 
sionary meeting  to  £50.  Since  then  more  than  fifty 
similar  meetings  have  been  held  within  the  walls  of 
this  fine  native  church,  several  of  which  the  author 
of  this  biography  has  been  privileged  to  attend,  and 
one  of  which  he  cherishes  as  exceeding  in  enthusiasm 
anything  he  has  ever  witnessed  either  in  Africa  or 
England. 

It  must  not  be  imagined  that  the  success  herein 
recorded  was  permitted  without  opposition  from  the 
native  priest.  He  had  been  attacked  in  his  strong- 
hold, and  was  not  likely  to  relinquish  his  power 
without  a  fight.  Beecham  *  records,  in  substance,  the 
following  particulars.  Shortly  after  the  commence- 
ment of  the  mission,  a  fetishman,  named  Akwa,  came 

*  Gold  Coast  and  Ashaiiti. 


38  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

from  the  interior  to  Cape  Coast,  and  professed  to  be 
able  to  perform  certain  feats,  by  which  he  obtained 
credit  with  the  people.  He  crushed  beads  to  powder, 
and  then  pretended  to  restore  them  to  their  former 
state  ;  he  thrust  his  finger  through  a  stone,  and  in 
evidence  produced  the  stone  with  a  hole  ;  all  of  which 
to  the  simple-minded  and  superstitious  people  was 
evidence  of  his  supernatural  power,  which  he  might 
exert  for  evil  upon  them  if  false  to  the  faith  of  their 
fathers. 

The  writer  remembers  hearing  Freeman  speak  of 
these  times,  and  of  this  individual,  who  appeared 
to  chew  his  arm,  eating  away  the  living  flesh,  and 
in  evidence  the  blood  seemed  to  flow  freely.  The 
missionary  detected  the  fraud,  and  found  that  the 
blood  was  produced  by  the  chewing  of  a  piece  of  well- 
known  wood.  Akwa,  however,  claimed  to  have 
power,  not  only  over  the  mineral  and  vegetable  world, 
but  he  averred  that  he  had  influence  to  summon  apes 
from  the  bush,  and  make  tliem  talk  with  the  people  ; 
but  this  lie  could  not  do  in  the  daytime,  as  the  apes 
were  timid  and  shunned  the  light.  He  therefore  took 
his  dupes  into  the  forest  after  dark,  and  they  returned 
into  the  town  quite  convinced  that  they  had  conversed 
with  apes.  By  such  exploits  he  gained  much  renown, 
impressing  the  people  with  the  great  powers  of  his 
fetish.  His  deception  was,  however,  exposed  by  a 
native  trader,  who  had  become  sufficiently  enlightened 
under  Christian  influences  to  susi)ect  the  cheat. 
Having  expressed  a  wish  to  witness  some  of  the 
wonderful  feats  of  Akwa,  he  accompanied  him  to  the 
forest  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  taking  care,  how- 
ever, to  instruct  his  servant  "boys,"  who  attended 
him,  as  to  their  part.  These  "  boys  "  carried  the  usual 
present  of  rum — about  a  gallon.  At  the  appointed 
place  and  time  Akwa  began  to  call  for  the  apes,  and 
presently  a  rushing  sound  was  heard,  and  a  small 
voice  said,  "  We  have  come  ;  give  us  some  rum." 
When  the  hand  was  stretched  forth  a  servant  caught  it, 


IN  THE   BREACH.  39 

aud  called  out  to  his  master,  "  My  father  !  my  father  ! 
it  is  not  an  ape  ;  I  have  caught  a  boy's  liand." 
"  Hold  it  last,"  replied  the  trader,  "  until  1  come  and 
satisfy  myself"  ;  bnt  in  the  struggle  whicli  ensued  the 
captive  gained  his  liberty,  and  the  servants,  ])ursuing 
the  fugitives,  found  that  they  were  a  number  of  boys 
who  had  been  trained  by  Akwa  to  personate  apes.  So 
great  was  the  panic  that  the  fetish  boys  abandoned  tlie 
bottles  they  had  brouglit  into  which  were  to  be  emptied 
the  trader's  flasks  of  rum.  Akwa  himself  fled,  and 
was  never  heard  of  more  in  the  town  of  Cape  Coast. 
This  discovery  broke  the  spell  with  which  the  popular 
superstition  had  bound  the  mind  of  the  trader,  and  he 
soon  after  became  a  member  of  the  Church.  Such  an 
exposure,  too,  had  its  eftect  upon  the  minds  of  the 
people  generally. 

Later,  at  a  great  fetish  dance,  a  stone  was  tlirown, 
which  struck  the  chief  fetishman  in  the  face,  who 
demanded,  in  his  Avrath,  that  the  offender  should  be 
discovered.  The  retort  came  from  the  people  that 
unless  the  fetish  could  inform  him  it  was  useless  to 
apply  to  them  for  counsel.  They  then  threw  down 
the  drums,  to  the  sound  of  which  he  was  dancing,  and 
left  the  priest  to  his  own  meditations. 

The  whole  passjige,  with  other  incidents  therein 
related,  is  worth  reading  in  the  pages  of  Beecham's 
interesting  but  scarce  volume  on  Ashanti  and  the 
Gold  Coast,  and  indicates  how  the  current  of  (yhristiau 
influence  was  gaining  force,  and  that  already  a  dis- 
integration of  the  p()])uhir  superstitions  was  taking 
})la{;e. 


-^:;^,5^.... 


A 

■"■^^^ 

If 

.i' 

K.        -, 

&s. 

:^' 


ELMINA  CASTLE,    GOLD   COAST. 


CHAPTER   lY. 

A    MISSIONARY   JOUENEY. 

THE  successes  and  acliieYements  of  Freeman's  first 
year's  toil  provoked  a  desire  for  larger  enter- 
prises. From  the  beginning  he  liad  set  liis  lieart 
upon  winning  Aslianti  for  Christ.  In  his  first  letter 
to  the  missionary  committee  he  stated  that  he  should 
not  consider  his  work  done  nntil  he  had  unfurled  the 
banner  of  the  Cross  in  Coomassie.  He  records  the 
following  in  the  published  Journals  :  ''  The  tales  of 
horror,  wretchedness,  and  cruelty  which  I  had  often 
heard  respecting  the  Ashantis,  wrought  in  my  mind 
the  deepest  commiseration,  and  a  constant  restlessness 
to  commence  missionary  operations  among  them." 
Early  in  his  second  year  he  hastened  to  carry  out  this 
great  purpose. 

There  were  many  objections  to  the  project.  The 
expense  of  the  journey,  danger  to  health,  the  doubtful 
success  with  the  despotic  king  of  Ashanti,  the  pro- 
longed  absence   from   the    infant    Churches    already 

40 


A    MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  41 

formed,  and  the  importance  of  being  at  Cape  Coast 
to  receive  a  fellow-labourer  whom  he  liad  been  expect- 
ing for  weeks,  all  received  fnll  consideration. 

These  obstacles  were  one  by  one  met  by  the  gene- 
rosity of  the  people  of  his  charge,  and  the  promise 
of  necessary  assistance  from  President  Maclean.  Tlie 
latter  provided  him  with  two  soldiers  to  accompany 
and  conduct  him  to  Ashanti,  with  a  letter  of  recom- 
mendation to  the  king.  Moreover,  the  excellent 
William  de  Graft  expressed  his  willingness  to  take 
charge  of  the  mission  during  Freeman's  absence. 

Such  a  journey  could  be  accomplished  only  on  foot, 
or  by  hammock  borne  by  men,  the  usual  metliod  of 
travel  on  the  Gold  Coast.  For  some  unknown  reason, 
though  it  has  been  carefully  and  scientifically  sought, 
horses  cannot  live  in  this  part  of  West  Africa.  Thus 
the  European  who  is  judicious  enough  to  care  for  his 
health  has  not  only  to  submit  to  this  strange  method 
of  locomotion,  Imt  his  food  and  clothing  must  be 
borne  also  upon  the  heads  of  natives.  The  preparation 
for  a  journey  to  the  interior  is,  consequently,  suffi- 
ciently exacting,  apart  from  its  actual  performance. 

"  Deeply  sensible,"  Freeman  writes,  "■  of  the  difficult 
and  dangerous  nature  of  my  undertaking,  and  not 
forgetful  of  that  eternal  Source  from  whence  I  must 
receive  all  my  strength,  both  physical  and  spiritual, 
I  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  our  Society  at  Cape 
Coast  on  Tuesday  evening,  January  29th,  1839.  On 
follomng  morning  I  left  for  Coomassie,  and  reached 
Anamabu  at  noon." 

He  rested  at  this  place  till  the  following  morning, 
and  then  proceeded  by  way  of  Domonasi,  that  he 
might  encourage  the  little  Church  there.  On  reaching 
Domonasi  he  was  prostrated  with  a  slight  attack  of 
fever,  the  result  of  his  anxieties  and  labour  in  organ- 
ising the  expedition. 

On  recovery  he  moved  on  to  Yankumasi,  where  he 
was  well  received  and  entertained  by  the  young  chief 
Asin  Chibu,  who  presented   him   with    a  sheep  and 


42 


THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 


green  plantains,  and  also  supplied  liim  gratuitously 
with  five  carriers  for  liis  luggage  to  the  next  stopping- 


HAMMOCK-TRAVELLIIsG. 


place.  Mindful  of  his  function,  Freeman  conversed 
witli  tlie  young  man  concerning  the  worship  of  the 
true  God,  and  found  him  more  receptive  than  most  of 


A   MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  43 

the  Fanti  cliicfs  wiMi  whom  lie  liad  hecii  hroiif^lit  into 
contact. 

When  he  reached  Mansu  lie  was  weh-oiucd  l)y  tlio 
chief  Gahri  and  his  captains.  Botli  (^ahri  and  his 
mother  were  lieedful  of  native  etiquette  in  sending 
presents  of  fruit,  vegetables,  aud  a  sheep.  Here  the 
fever  returned,  and  Sunday,  February  3rd,  found  liim 
still  at  tliis  town.  The  fever  having  somewliat  abated, 
lie  preached  in  the  afternoon  to  the  chief  and  his 
principal  men,  and  to  many  of  the  i)eople,  taking 
for  his  text,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature." 

He  adds  :  "  Considering  their  ignorant  condition, 
they  behaved  very  well.  I  do  not  remember  that  I 
ever  witnessed  a  more  soul-refreshing  and  interesting- 
scene  than  that  which  took  place  at  the  close  of  the 
sermon.  The  sublime  truths  concerning  the  mysterious 
plan  of  human  redemption — God  becoming  incarnate, 
and  dying  to  save  His  rebellious  creatures,  to  bring 
them  to  eternal  glory — made  such  an  impression  upon 
the  minds  of  the  chief  and  his  captains  that  they 
could  not  contain  themselves.  Spreading  abroad  their 
hands,  and  lifting  up  their  yoices,  they  acknowledged 
the  lovingkindness  of  God,  and  declared  before  their 
people  that  they  would  worship  Him.  I  verily 
believe  they  would,  if  they  could  be  watched  over 
aud  attended  to  continually  by  a  missionary  or  teacher." 

Leaving  Mansu  his  "  path  lay  through  a  dense 
forest,  abounding  in  lofty  silk-cotton  and  other  trees, 
and  many  handsome  varieties  of  fern."  He  travelled 
along  the  banks  of  the  sacred  river  of  the  Ashantis, 
with  the  beauty  of  which  lie  was  deeply  impressed.  The 
river  Prah  is  tlie  natural  boundary  between  Fanti  and 
Aslianti,  and  Freeman  described  it  as  being  ''the  largest 
he  liad  yet  seen  in  Africa.  With  its  thickly  wooded 
banks,  abounding  in  palm  trees  and  viimosece^  it  pre- 
sented a  beautifully  picturesque  and  interesting  scene." 

He  halted  on  the  banks  of  the  river  for  a  day,  giving 
the  carriers  the  opportunity  of  rest  and  refreslinieut 


44 


THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 


to  be  obtained  by  bathing  in  its  waters.  This  place 
is  about  eighty-five  miles  from  the  coast,  and  mid- 
way between  Cape  Coast  and  Coomassie. 

He  describes  the  country  over  which  he  had 
travelled  as  "  covered  with  luxuriant  vegetation,  con- 
sisting of  plantains,  bananas,  palms,  bamboos,  many 


large  forest  trees  covered  with  climbers.  Epiphytical 
Orchidece,  and  ferns.  Among  the  shrubs  and  her- 
baceous plants  1  noticed  a  very  pretty  variety  of 
Crotan  ;  also  Lantana  Odorata^  and  a  species  of 
Gardenia  Iledjjchium,  or  garland  flower,  Canna 
Indica,  and  a  handsome  blue  variety  of  Maranta,  the 
leaves  of  which  were  on  the  upper  side  a  pale  green 
colour,  and  underneath  a  bright  purple."     Not  only 


A   MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  45 

were  liis  botanical  tastes  gratified,  but  Lis  "  ears  were 
charmed  with  the  notes  of  some  of  the  feathered 
songsters  of  the  forest  ;  and  my  attention  was  also 
arrested  by  the  well-known  sound  of  the  woodman's 
hook  and  axe,  eni})loyed  to  clear  small  tracts  of 
ground  in  the  forest  for  the  cultivation  of  yams." 

Crossing  the  Prah  "  in  a  large  heavy  canoe,"  he 
entered  the  country  of  Ashanti,  and  quickly  discovered, 
wliat  all  African  travellers  find  out  sooner  or  later, 
that  many  petty  difiiculties  stood  in  his  path,  and 
that  great  patience  was  needed  to  overcome  them. 
The  strong  h.armattan  wind  was  blowing,  "  affecting 
the  eyes,  and  producing  a  sensation  like  that  felt  by  a 
violent  cold  in  the  head."  One  morning  he  was  morti- 
fied "  to  find  that  a  rat  had  eaten  some  of  his  hammock- 
strings,  which  rendered  it  almost  unfit  for  use." 

He  jmssed  over  the  Adansi  hills,  and  arrived  at  the 
small  town  of  Kwisa.  Here  he  was  informed  that  he 
could  jn'oceed  no  farther  without  permission  from  the 
chief,  who  resided  in  the  "  neat  little  town "  of 
Fumana,  a  mile  distant.  Korinchi,  the  chief  of  Adansi, 
a  man  of  drunken  habits,  proved  his  evil  genius  by 
delaying  him  for  several  precious  weeks. 

Those  weeks  were  not  spent  idly,  but  the  delay  was 
most  tiresome  to  the  ardent  missionary.  From  his 
journal  we  get  a  glimpse  of  the  young  man  making 
the  best  of  the  opportunity  to  work  for  his  Master. 
He  was  delighted  to  find  here  some  native  C/hristian 
traders,  and  they,  with  the  missionary's  company, 
formed  the  nucleus  of  a  congregation  for  public 
worship.  They  also  supported  and  encouraged  him  in 
his  interviews  with  tlie  chief.  This  border-chieftain 
did  not  fail  to  magnify  his  office,  and  received  the 
missionary  in  semi-royal  state,  seated  under  his 
gorgeous  umbrella,  and  surrounded  by  his  captains 
and  people.  There  were  the  usual  complimentary 
passages  so  characteristic  of  this  and  other  African 
tribes,  followed  by  inquiries  as  to  the  object  of  the 
missionary's  proposed  visit  to  Coomassie. 


46  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

This  gave  Freeman  the  opportunity  of  making 
known,  probably  for  the  first  time,  the  gospel  to  the 
chief  and  his  vassals.  He  disclaimed  any  commercial 
or  political  intention,  and  stated  that  he  had  "  come 
into  the  country  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the 
king  of  Ashanti  and  his  people,  by  directing  them  in 
the  way  of  peace  and  haj)piness  through  the  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel."  The  chief  rei^lied  tliat  he  should 
like  to  hear  the  gospel  in  his  town  before  Freeman 
proceeded  any  farther  into  the  country. 

The  missionary  at  once  opened  his  commission,  and 
spoke  to  the  chief  and  all  present  on  the  existence  of 
a  God.  Holding  up  to  their  view  a  leaf  which  had 
fiillen  from  the  banyan  tree  under  which  he  was 
standing,  he  asked  if  they  could  make  one  like  it. 
They  answered,  ''  i\^(9."  He  then  further  asked  if  they 
thought  it  possible  for  the  combined  wisdom,  power, 
and  genius  of  the  world  to  make  such  a  leaf.  Again 
there  came  back  in  ready  chorus,  "  NoP  From  this 
simple  illustration  he  led  their  thoughts  up  ^'  to  the 
almighty  power,  mercy,  and  truth  of  ^  God  who  made 
the  world  and  all  things  therein,'  and  declared  to 
them  the  nature  of  the  Christian  religion.''  They 
bade  him  come  again  on  the  morrow  that  they  might 
hear  more. 

Next  day,  being  Sunday,  the  missionary  took  his 
stand  under  the  same  trees,  and  had  the  pleasure  of 
2)reaching  to  Korinchi  and  a  congregation  of  five 
hundred  natives.  The  little  band  of  Christians 
gathered  about  him,  and  they  sang  "  Plunged  in  a 
gulf  of  dark  despair,  etc."  Then  a  native  Christian 
offered  prayer  in  their  own  tongue.  Again  the  little 
Christian  choir  struck  up  : — 

''  Lord  over  all,  if  Thou  hast  inacle, 
Hast  ransomed  every  soul  of  man, 
Why  is  the  grace  so  long  delayed  ? 

Why  unfulfilled  the  saving  plan  ? 
The  bliss,  for  Adams  race  designed, 
When  will  it  reach  to  all  mankind  ?  " 


A   MfSSIO.YARV  JOURNEY.  47 

Then  followed  a  sermon,  rendered  into  Fanti  l)y  an 
interi)reter.  The  preacher  explained  the  nature  of  the 
gos])el,  and  proved  the  Divine  origin  of  the  Bible. 
A  great  solemnity  pervaded  the  congregation,  and 
the"dee])est  attention  was  paid,  assent  l)eing  given 
every  minute  or  so  by  a  hearty  ''  Yes''  from  the 
listeners. 

At  the  close  Korinchi  and  his  ca])tains  pronounced 
it  a  *'good  palaver,"  and  declared  they  would  like 
to  hear  more  as  to  what  God  liked  and  what  He 
disliked.  The  missionary  retired  with  the  promise 
to  preach  again  when  desired.  The  chief  and  his 
])eople  were  greatly  impressed  with  the  disinterested 
character  of  Freeman's  mission,  and  expressed  tlieir 
astonishment  that  so  great  a  sacrifice  should  be  made 
on  the  part  of  a  stranger  to  benefit  them.  That  in 
itself  led  them  to  conclude  that  the  religion  he  pro- 
fessed must  be  good. 

Before  leaving,  however,  lie  made  clear  to  the  chief 
that  his  office  as  a  Christian  minister  precluded  liim 
from  conforming  wholly  to  the  custom  of  making- 
costly  presents.  Tliis  drew  fortli  tbe  ready  reply  that 
such  was  not  expected  from  him.  They  desired  rather 
to  become  acquainted  with  the  gospel  he  preached. 
His  inquiry  as  to  when  he  might  be  permitted  to 
proceed  to  Coomassie  was  evaded,  a  form  of  procedure 
with  whicb  be  was  to  become  bitterly  familiar. 

In  his  more  mature  years  Mr.  Freeman  became 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  arts  and  wiles  of  chiefs 
and  kings  to  cause  delay,  but  in  his  inex2)erience  he 
now  felt  it  a  great  trial.  His  mind  was  constantly 
harassed  with  anxiety  about  the  flock  of  nearly  seven 
hundred  left  behind.  Yet  he  was  filled  with  intense 
longing  to  go  forward  to  proclaim  the  glad  tidings 
in  regions  beyond,  although  he  had  fears  that  his 
health  might  give  way,  exposed  as  he  was  in  a  poor 
hat  in  the  midst  of  the  hat-mattan  season. 


CHIEF  NEXT   IN   COMMAND  TO   KING   OF   COOMASSIE. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A   TRIAL   OF   PATIENCE. 

AT  last  after  varied  excuses  a  messenger  arrived  from 
Coomassie  with  a  present  of  nine  ackies  of  gold 
dust  (equal  to  two  pounds  five  shillings),  and  with  a 
promise  that  the  king  would  send  for  Freeman  in  a  few 
days. 

Korinchi  now  offered  Freeman  the  privilege  of 
waiting  the  king's  2)leasure  at  Fumana,  of  which  he 
gladly  availed  himself,  the  latter  being  more  open 
and  healthy  than  Kwisa. 

His  conversations  and  public  services  provoked  a 
desire  to  hear  more.  And  so  much  in  earnest  were 
they  that  Korinchi  sent  one  morning  at  eight  o'clock 
to  summon  the  missionary  to  explain  to  him  and  his 
captains  some  of  the  truths  of  Christianity.  The 
doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  greatly  puzzled 
them  ;  but  their  teacher  succeeded  in  convincing  them 
of  the  possibility  of  such  an  event.  He  then  directed 
their  attention  to  the  doctrine  of  future  rewards  and 
jmnishments. 

One   dav   he  swung   his   hammock  under  a   large 


A    TRIAL   OF  PATIENCE.  49 

banyan  tree  in  the  principal  thoroughfare.  The  chief 
visited  him,  and  a  hirge  group  of  people  gathered 
aronnd.  lie  led  tliem  into  a  general  conversation, 
and  ])ointed  out  the  folly  of  their  sui)erstitious  offerings 
wliich  lie  had  seen  them  preparing  for  their  fetish.  At 
first  they  resented  this,  but  subsequently  said  "  their 
fetish  told  them  nonsense  and  deceived  them." 

In  his  lodgings  he  held  a  meeting  for  Divine  worship, 
which  the  chief  and  his  captains  attended  by  his 
invitation.  All  seemed  deeply  impressed  with  its 
solemnity.  Whatever  hopes  might  have  been  enter- 
tained by  the  missionary  of  the  chief's  conversion 
from  heathenism  were  soon  blighted.  A  few  days 
after  this  solemn  service  a  sister  of  Korinchi  died. 
As  Freeman  walked  out  early  the  following  morning, 
he  was  shocked  to  see  in  the  public  street  the 
mangled  corpse  of  a  i)Oor  female  slave,  who  had  been 
beheaded  dnrins;  the  ni^'ht  to  attend  her  mistress 
in  the  ghostly  sphere  to  which  they  believed  the 
departed  had  gone.  He  had  reason  to  think  that  his 
presence  had  a  restraining  influence,  or  many  more 
slaves  would  have  been  immolated.  Half  ashamed 
that  the  stranger  should  see  the  result  of  their  super- 
stition, the  people  had  partly  covered  the  poor  body 
with  a  native  mat. 

''  In  the  course  of  the  day,"  he  adds,  "  I  saw  groups 
of  natives  dancing  round  this  victim  of  superstition 
and  cruelty  with  numerous  frantic  gestures,  and  who 
seemed  to  be  in  the  very  zenith  of  their  hai3piness.  .  .  . 
Thoughout  the  day  I  saw  females  fantastically  dressed, 
with  their  faces  and  shoulders  daubed  with  red  ochre, 
])arading  the  town  as  mourners  for  Korinchi's  sister." 
The  mangled  trunk  of  the  slave  was  cast  into  a  ditch 
by  the  roadside  to  lie  and  putrefy,  or  be  devoured  by 
turkey-buzzards  or  beasts  of  prey. 

As  might  be  expected,  such  an  incident  made  a  deep 
impression  on  the  missionary's  mind,  and  he  gave 
himself  earnestly  to  prayer  that  God  would  clear  away 
the  darkness  resting  upon  the  people. 


50  THOMAS  BIRCH   FREEMAN. 

A  few  days  after  he  writes  :  "  Early  in  the  moroiDg 
the  fetish  tune  was  played  through  the  town,  to 
assemble  the  people  for  finishing  the  '  custom  '  for 
Korinchi's  sister.  In  the  afternoon  nearly  all  the 
principal  persons  of  the  town  were  dressed  in  their 
gayest  attire.  A  large  group  of  them  gathered  under 
the  fetish  tree  to  see  and  hear  the  fetishman  while 
he  made  his  orations  and  danced  to  the  sound  of  several 
drums,  which  were  played  by  females.  The  appear- 
ance of  the  priest  was  very  much  like  that  of  a  clown. 
His  face  was  daubed  with  white  clay  ;  he  had  a  large 
iron  chain  about  his  neck,  worn  as  a  necklace.  This 
chain  I  tried  to  get  as  a  curiosity,  but  without  success. 
Around  his  legs  were  tied  bunches  of  fetish,  and  in 
his  hand  he  held  an  immense  knife,  about  fifteen 
inches  long  and  two  and  a  half  broad.  Sometimes  he 
danced  with  many  frantic  gestures,  and  at  other  times 
stood  gazing  around  him  with  every  indication  of  a 
vacant  mind. 

''  While  I  was  looking  at  him,  he  set  out  and  ran 
to  a  distance  of  about  a  hundred  yards.  Anxious  to 
keep  him  in  sight  I  walked  forward,  j)ast  a  small  shed 
which  would  have  concealed  him,  and  saw  him  with  a 
musket  at  his  shoulder  taking  aim  at  a  turkey-buzzard 
on  a  tree  hard  by.  Having  fired  without  hitting  his 
mark,  he  returned  to  the  tree  from  whence  he  started 
and  began  to  make  a  speech. 

"It  is  at  these  public  meetings  that  such  men  deliver 
to  the  poor  credulous  people  the  messages  which  they 
pretend  to  have  received  from  the  fetish,  which  are 
esteemed  by  the  great  body  of  the  inhabitants  as 
sterling  truth.  Thus  the  funeral  '  custom  '  dragged 
itself  on  after  the  fashion  of  the  country  amidst 
drunkenness  and  debauchery." 

In  a  half-drunken  condition  Korinchi  attended  a 
Sunday  service  held  by  the  missionary.  A  few  days 
after  Freeman  made  an  opportunity  of  remonstrating 
with  him.  He  also  pointed  out  the  folly  of  their 
'  customs,"  and  the  wickedness  of  human  sacrifices. 


A    TRIAL   OF  rATIRXCE.  51 

The  chief  offered  nn  excuse  not  iiiikiiowii  in  civilised 
lands.  They  were  so  unlia]ipv,  so  Jie  stated,  at  tlie 
loss  of  relatives  tliatthey  were  glad  to  liave  recourse  to 
drnidvenness  to  drown  their  sorrow.  The  missionary 
directed  liim  to  God  as  the  ordy  real  source  of  comiort 
in  times  of  affliction. 

The  very  next  night,  however,  Freeman  was  kept 
awake  by  the  noisy  drumming  of  the  fetish  wor- 
shippers, wliich  he  discovered  was  but  the  prelude  to 
another  human  sacrifice.  The  next  day  he  saw  the 
headless  body  of  the  victim,  a  young  man  about 
eighteen  years  of  age.  Already  the  turkey-buzzards 
were  feasting  upon  the  corpse.  But  what  filled  the 
missionary  with  painful  emotion  was  regarded  with 
the  utmost  indifference  by  the  mass  of  the  people 
familiar  with  such  horrible  scenes. 

Tliat  heathen,  however,  such  as  these  are  not 
entirely  without  conscience  is  evident  from  an  incident 
which  occurred  at  a  imblic  service  on  the  Sabbath. 
Freeman's  text  was,  "  If  thou  wilt  enter  into  life, 
keep  the  commandments."  During  the  delivery  the 
chief  and  his  retainers  grew  very  excited,  especially 
when  the  preacher  explained  the  Decalogue.  They 
often  stopped  him  to  ask  questions.  ''  Is  the  offer- 
ing of  human  sacrifices  murder  ?  "  questioned  one. 
The  missionary  answered,  "  It  is  even  so  ;  and  you 
will  henceforth  be  left  without  excuse,  if  you  persist 
in  that  horrible  practice." 

Proceeding  to  explain  the  excellency  of  the  com- 
mandments, the  preacher  turned  questioner.  ''  Who 
are  the  happiest  persons,"  asked  he,  "  those  wlw) 
conscientiously  keep  God's  commandments  or  those 
who  wilfully  break  them  ? "  Without  hesitation 
there  came  the  api)arently  sincere  reply  from  the 
people,  deeply  impressed  with  the  solemnity  of  tlie  dis- 
course, "  Those  who  keep  them."  Subsequently  this 
discourse  was  a  subject  of  conversation  between  the 
chief  and  his  ca})tains,  who  were  disposed  to  dissent 
from   tlie   missionary's  teaching  that  the  keeping  of 


52  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

the  Sabbath  was  obligatory  upon  them.  They  believed 
that  God  had  apjioiuted  different  sacred  days  for 
the  nations :  one  for  the  Ashantis,  one  for  the 
Fantis,  and  another  for  the  Wassaws.  They  feared 
that  they  would  expose  themselves  to  great  dang-er  by 
giving  up  their  fetish  days  and  keeping  the  Chris- 
tian Sabbath.  This  objection  was  met  by  Freeman 
tellino'  them  of  what  Eno-land  once  was  in  its  state 
of  heathenism,  and  of  the  mighty  change  since  the 
introduction  of  Christianity.  "  This  argument  was 
too  strong  for  them,  and  they  gave  up  the  point." 

So  the  days  passed,  and  the  missionary  grew  weary 
of  waiting  for  permission  to  proceed.  Now  we  find 
him  searching  the  forest  for  floral  specimens,  now 
climbing  a  hill  to  become  enraptured  with  the  glorious 
prospect,  then  remonstrating  with  the  chief,  and 
telling  him  that  he  half  suspected  that  he  or  those 
whom  he  influenced  were  to  blame  for  the  long- 
delay.  Then  he  gathered  about  him  his  fellow- 
travellers,  and  entered  into  close  personal  conversation 
concerning  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  Again  and 
again  he  preached  the  words  of  life  to  those  willing 
to  hear.  The  days  grew  into  weeks,  and  still  there 
was  no  answer  from  the  king,  whereupon  he  deter- 
mined upon  the  stratagem  of  threatening  to  return 
to  the  coast. 

To  show  that  he  was  no  longer  to  be  trifled  with 
by  the  treacherous  chief,  he  packed  his  boxes,  and 
put  himself  in  a  state  of  readiness  to  return.  Alarmed 
at  the  consequences  to  himself  when  the  matter 
reached  the  royal  ear,  he  came  hastily  to  Freeman  to 
entreat  him  to  exercise  further  patience.  To  this  he 
agreed,  on  the  condition  that  the  chief  would  provide 
on  the  following  morning  a  messenger  to  accompany 
his  with  a  letter  he  intended  to  write  to  the  king. 
"  After  he  had  used  every  means  to  persuade  "  Free- 
man "  to  the  contrary,"  the  ''  chief  consented  with 
great  reluctance." 

Next   morning,  when    the  missionary's   messenger 


A    TRIAL   OF  PATIENCE.  53 

was  prepared,  he  sent  to  Korioclii  to  iiicpiire  if  his 
messenger  were  ready.  There  came  a  series  of  answers 
characteristic  of  the  duplicity  of  the  heathen  African 
ruler.  "  The  king's  path-keeper  was  not  found,"  or 
"  had  not  arrived,"  and  so  the  delay  was  continued. 
The  missionary  acted  with  promptitude,  and  repaired  to 
Korinchi's  house,  only  to  be  informed  that  the  chief 
was  not  within.  He  then  proceeded  to  the  house  of 
the  king's  messenger  and  vigorously  protested,  and 
was  politely  informed  that  they  were  simply  waiting 
for  linguists  belonging  to  other  chiefs  before  they 
prepared  the  escort.  Feeling  displeased  witli  the 
manifest  deception,  Freeman  ordered  his  people  to 
make  ready  to  return  at  once  to  Cai)e  Coast. 

Before  turning  his  back  entirely  upon  the  place,  he 
paid  another  visit  to  the  chief's  house,  taking  the 
precaution  to  send  one  of  his  men  to  the  back  door 
whilst  he  went  to  the  front.  Again,  with  profuse 
apologies,  he  was  politely  informed  that  Korinchi  was 
not  within.  Taking  the  matter  in  his  own  hands,  he 
presumed,  to  their  astonishment,  to  enter  tlie  house 
before  any  one  could  give  warning.  As  he  suspected, 
the  chief  was  there,  and  most  leisurely  taking  his 
breakfast. 

The  missionary  upbraided  the  wily  chief  for  his 
unjust  conduct,  and  reques-ted  that  he  would  find  the 
promised  messenger  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  his 
repast.  He  then  retired  to  another  apartment  to 
await  the  result.  Half  an  hour  passed,  and  though 
the  chief  had  made  a  faithful  promise,  he  did  not 
appear.  Freeman  sent  an  attendant  to  inquire  the 
cause  of  delay,  and  discovered  that  the  chief  had 
again  eluded  him.  He  had  finished  his  breakfast  and 
made  liis  escape.  More  delays  of  the  same  tedious 
kind  followed,  and  then,  persuaded  that  Korinchi  was 
dealing  treacherously  with  him,  the  missionary  started 
some  of  his  attendants  with  i:)ackages  towards  the 
coast. 

The  poor  chief,  now   in   a  quandary,  sent  in  great 


54  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

lia^te  to  inform  Freeman  that  the  messenger  was 
nearly  ready.  He  was  no  longer  in  a  mood,  however, 
to  be  played  with,  and  requested  to  see  the  messenger, 
hut  none  came.  The  loads  were  now  all  despatched, 
and  his  people  were  told  to  wait  on  the  road  whilst 
the  missionary  sought  Koriuchi  to  take  leave  of 
him.  It  was  not  a  pleasant  interview  for  either 
party.  Mr.  Freeman  says  the  chief  "  appeared  stupid, 
brutal,  and  sullen,  and  would  not  give  me  his  hand. 
I  consequently  turned  from  him,  and  waited  a  moment 
to  tell  the  king's  messenger  I  was  going.  Before  I 
parted  with  him,  I  asked  whether  he  did  not  think 
forty-six  days  a  sufficient  length  of  time  for  me  to 
wait  patiently,  especially  as  I  was  getting  short  of 
provisions  and  the  rainy  season  was  fast  approaching. 
He  candidly  acknowledged  that  I  had  been  detained 
too  long,  and  that  he  could  not  blame  me  for  return- 
ing. I  had  but  proceeded  a  short  distance  when 
Korinchi  sent  begging  me  to  stoj)  and  speak  with 
him,  to  which  message  I  thought  it  right  to  pay  no 
attention." 

The  chief  was  now  truly  alarmed,  and  sent  messenger 
after  messenger  to  entreat  Freeman  to  return.  He 
offered  an  abject  apology,  and  promised  to  send  that 
night,  by  torchlight,  a  messenger  to  Coomassie.  The 
night  drew  on,  and  with  it  came  a  tornado,  and 
Freeman  was  glad  to  find  shelter  in  a  six-feet-square 
hut,  into  which  he  also  invited  the  chief's  messengers. 
These  men  did  their  best  to  conciliate  and  dissnade 
the  missionary  from  his  purpose  of  recrossing  the  Prah. 

That  night  Korinchi  tried  to  console  himself  for  the 
missionary's  sudden  departure  in  his  usual  way  when 
trouble  was  upon  him.  He  spent  the  whole  night  in 
drinking,  drumming,   and  dancing. 

Believing  that  Korinchi  would  no  longer  put 
obstacles  in  his  way,  Freeman  slowly  yielded  to  the 
entreaties  of  the  messengers.  These  men  were  so 
rejoiced  at  having  overcome  the  apparent  reluctance  of 
the  missionary,  that  they  gladly  acted  as  carriers  of  his 


A    TRIAL   OF  PATIENCE.  55 

heavy  luggage,  and  were  most  profuse  in  their  thanks. 
Such  was  the  effect  of  the  scare  that  within  half  an 
hour  of  his  return  a  despatcli  arrived  from  the  king 
rc([n(\sting  liim  to  ])roceed  to  Coomassie.  Freeman 
thouglit  that,  thougli  the  cliief  ''  was  deserving  of 
censure,  much  of  his  conduct  was  due  to  jealousy 
on  the  ])art  of  the  king."  He  does  not  even  blame 
the  king,  but  ascribes  his  conduct  to  evil  influences 
brought  to  bear  upon  him  by  Mohammedan  and  fetisli 
priests,  who  would  do  their  utmost  to  prevent  the 
introduction  of  (/hristianity  into  the  country. 

He  subse(piently  wrote  :  ''  I  believe  my  long  deten- 
tion .  .  .  was  the  Lord's  doing.  The  great  length  of 
time  which  I  remained  there  gave  me  an  excellent 
opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  peo2)le 
and  of  gaining  tlicir  affections.  I  also  became  accus- 
tomed, by  gradual  degrees,  to  those  horrid  and  awful 
scenes,  wliich  are  every-day  occurrences  in  that  j^lace." 
After  visiting  Coomassie  he  considered  Fnmana  a 
more  desirable  place  for  a  mission  tlian  the  capital. 
He  thouglit  the  people  more  i)repared  to  receive  the 
gospel,  and  in  spite  of  the  treachery  and  drunkenness 
of  the  chief  Korinchi  he  considered  him  on  the  whole 
exceedingly  well  disposed. 

The  missionary's  suspicion  that  the  king's  jealousy 
had  much  to  do  with  his  detention  at  Fnmana  received 
confirmation.  The  king  sent  a  messenger  to  see 
what  sort  of  a  person  he  was,  and  on  his  return  was 
interrogated  as  follows  : — 

King  :  "  You  have  seen  the  fetishman  ?  " 

Messenger  :  "  Yes." 

King  :  "  Had  lie  plenty  of  drums  with  him  ?  " 

Messenger  :  ''  I  saw  no  drums." 

King  :  ''  Why,  he  is  a  fetishman  ;  he  must  have 
drums  with  him." 

Messenger  :  "  I  saw  no  drums.  He  has  plenty  of 
boxes,  but  I  cannot  say  what  they  contain." 

King;  "Why  did  you  not  endeavour  to  learn 
whether  the  boxes  contained  drums  or  not?" 


56  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

Whereupon  tlie  king  became  exceedingly  angry 
because  the  messenger  could  give  no  satisfactory 
answer.  The  king  evidently  brooded  over  the  matter, 
and  was  sorely  puzzled  that  a  stranger  should  desire 
to  visit  him  on  such  an  errand.  "  Never  since,"  said 
the  king,  ''  the  world  began,  has  there  been  an  English 
missionary  in  Ashanti.     What  can  he  want  ?  " 

Freeman,  once  more  on  the  path  with  his  face  to  the 
capital,  was  impressed  with  the  fertility  of  the  country 
and  the  luxuriant  vegetation,  and  was  struck  with  the 
kindness  of  the  natives  through  whose  towns  and 
villages  he  passed.  Every  day  he  received  presents 
of  palm  wine  and  fruits. 

On  April  1st  he  found  himself  at  the  small  village 
of  Franfraham,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Coomassie.  In 
consequence  of  the  delays,  he  had  been  two  months 
covering  the  hundred  and  seventy  miles  from  the 
coast  ! 

This  village  was  the  halting-place  for  strangers 
visiting  the  capital.  Here  the  missionary,  in  keeping 
with  the  customs  of  the  country,  awaited  further 
invitation  from  the  king.  The  interval  was  well  filled 
with  the  partaking  of  needful  refreshment,  and  a 
jjrayer-meeting  to  implore  the  blessing  of  the  God 
of  missions  upon  the  undertaking. 


fi^li'lii^*'^ 


'vi 


CHAPTEli  VI. 


THE    CITY    OF   BLOOD. 


THE  eDtiy  of  the  first  Cliristian  missionary  into  the 
blood-stained  capital  of  Ashanti  will  be  best 
described  in  his  own  words.  We  copy  from  his  journal 
under  date  of  April  1st,  1839  : — 

"At  2  p.m.  a  messenger  arrived  from  the  king 
requesting  me  to  proceed  as  early  as  possible.  I 
immediately  dressed  myself,  and  while  doing  so  three 
others  arrived,  each  bearing  a  golden  sword,  requesting 
me  to  hasten  forward.  I  then  advanced  towards  the 
town,  preceded  by  the  messengers  and  some  soldiers 
bearing  arms. 

"  Having  reached  the  outskirts  we  halted  under 
a  large  tree,  and  there  waited  for  another  royal  invita- 
tion. In  a  short  time  His  Majesty's  chief  linguist, 
the  A])oko,  came  in  a  palan(]uin,  shaded  by  an  immense 
umbrella,  and  accompanied  by  messengers  bearing 
canes  nearly  covered  with  gold.  These  took  charge 
of  my  luggage,  and  saw  it  safely  lodged  in  the  residence 
intended  for  me.     All  this  being  properly  arranged, 

57 


58  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

another  messenger  arrived,  accompanied  by  troops  and 
men  bearing  large  umbrellas.  I  was  requested  to 
proceed  to  the  market-place.  ^  The  king's  command- 
ment' being  'urgent,'  we  pushed  along  with  speed, 
preceded  by  a  band  of  music. 

''  As  soon  as  we  arrived  at  the  market-place  I  got 
out  of  my  travelling-chair.  Walking  through  the 
midst  of  an  hnmense  concourse  of  persons,  a  narrow 
path  being  kept  clear  for  me,  I  paid  my  respects  to 
the  king,  his  numerous  chiefs  and  captains.  These 
were  seated  on  wooden  chairs,  richly  decorated  with 
brass  and  gold,  and  under  the  shade  of  splendid 
umbrellas,  some  of  them  large  enough  to  screen  twelve 
or  fourteen  persons  from  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun. 
These  state  umbrellas  were  crowned  with  images  of 
beasts  and  various  devices,  and  covered  with  gold. 
Eound  about  the  king  and  the  chief  were  the  native 
troops  and  a  multitude  of  attendants,  lending  impres- 
siveness  to  the  ceremony. 

"  I  was  occupied  for  half  an  hour  in  walking  slowly 
through  the  midst  of  this  immense  assembly,  touching 
my  hat  and  waving  my  hand,  except  before  the  king. 
In  his  presence  I,  of  course,  stood  for  a  moment 
uncovered.  I  then  took  my  seat  at  a  distance,  accom- 
l)anied  by  my  people  and  several  respectable  Fanti 
traders  who  were  staying  in  the  town.  Here,  according 
to  the  usual  custom,  we  received  the  return-compliments 
of  the  king. 

''  After  I  was  seated  the  immense  mass  began  to  be 
in  motion.  Many  of  the  chiefs  first  passed  me  in 
succession,  accompanied  by  their  numerous  retinue. 
8ome  of  them  cordially  shook  me  by  the  hand.  Then 
came  the  officers  of  the  king's  household  attended  by 
their  peoj^le.  Some  Ijore  on  tht'ir  heads  massive  ])ieces 
of  silver  jjlate,  otliers  carried  in  their  hands  gold 
swords  and  canes,  native  chairs  and  butfets  neatly 
carved  and  almost  covered  with  gold  and  silver,  and 
tobacco  pipes  richly  decorated  with  the  same  precious 
materials. 


6o  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

"  Amidst  this  ostentatious  display  I  saw  wliat  was 
calculated  to  harrow  up  the  strongest  and  most  painful 
feelings.  The  royal  executioners  displayed  the  blood- 
stained stools  on  which  hundreds,  perhaps  thousands, 
of  human  victims  have  been  sacrificed  by  decapitation. 
They  also  carried  the  large  death-dnim^  which  is  beaten 
at  the  moment  when  the  fatal  knife  severs  the  head 
from  the  body,  the  very  sound  of  which  conveys  a 
thrill  of  horror.  This  rude  instrument,  connected  with 
which  are  most  dreadful  associations,  was  literally 
covered  with  dried  clots  of  blood,  and  decorated  with 
the  jaw-bones  and  skulls  of  human  victims. 

"  Then  followed  the  king,  Kwaku  Duah,  under  the 
shade  of  three  splendid  umbrellas,  the  cloth  of  which 
was  silk-velvet  of  different  colours.  These  were  sup- 
ported by  some  of  his  numerous  attendants.  The 
display  of  gold  which  I  witnessed  as  His  Majesty 
13assed  was  astonishing. 

"  After  the  king  followed  other  chiefs,  and  lastly 
the  main  body  of  the  troops.  This  immense  procession 
occupied  an  hour  and  a  half  in  passing.  There  were 
several  Moors  in  the  procession,  but  they  made  by 
no  means  a  conspicuous  appearance.  I  suppose  the 
number  of  persons  which  I  saw  collected  together 
exceeded  forty  thousand,  including  a  great  number  of 
females.  The  wrists  of  some  of  the  chiefs  were  so 
heavily  laden  with  golden  ornaments  that  they  rested 
their  arms  on  the  shoulders  of  some  of  their  attendants. 
The  ajjpearance  of  the  procession  was  exceedingly 
grand  and  imjjosing. 

"  The  contrast  between  the  people  themselves  and 
their  large  umbrellas,  seventy  in  number  and  of  various 
colours,  which  they  waved  uji  and  down  in  the  air, 
together  with  the  dark  green  foliage  of  the  large 
banyan  trees,  under  and  among  which  they  passed, 
formed  a  scene  that  was  novel  and  extraordinary. 
I  gazed  on  this  concourse  of  heathens  with  feelings 
of  sorrow  and  joy.  I  sorrowed  in  the  reflection  that 
motst,  and  perhaps  all,  were  totally  ignorant  of  the 


THE   CITY  OF  BLOOD.  6i 

great  Author  of  their  being,  and  without  one  ray 
of  Divine  consolation  to  cheer  them  amid  tlie  changing 
scenes  of  this  visionary  workl." 

Mr.  Freeman  happily  did  not  know  at  tliat  time 
tliat  two  newly-made  earth-mounds  on  either  side  of 
the  way  as  he  entered  tlie  town  were  the  graves 
of  two  human  beings  who  had  just  been  buried  alive. 
These  victims  were  to  serve  as  a  powerful  fetish  to 
avert  any  evil  likely  to  arise  from  the  presence  of 
so  unusual  a  visitor  as  the  Christian  missionary.  It 
is  significant  evidence  of  tlie  fears  which  had  possessed 
the  king,  causing  the  delay  of  the  visitor  on  the  patli 
from  the  coast. 

On  this  day  he  writes  in  the  journal  a  most  elo- 
quent and  touching  appeal  to  British  Christians  to 
render  help  to  bring  the  light  to  this  dark  place. 
The  appeal  breaks  out  here  and  there  like  the 
"  burden  "  of  one  of  the  prophets,  the  storm  of  emotion 
finishing  in  langnage  of  joyful  anticipation.  Such 
an  appeal  the  lovers  of  Africa  still  ring  oat  for  a 
bold  march  to  evangelise  the  tribes  in  the  regions 
beyond. 

When  the  arduous  duties  of  that  first  day  in 
Coomassie  were  over,  the  wearied  missionary  retired 
to  his  quarters,  spread  a  cloth  upon  the  floor,  and 
sank  to  sleep. 

The  place  where  the  missionary  party  was  located 
was  very  circumscribed  and  intensely  hot.  It  consisted 
of  ten  little  sheds  about  six  feet  square  each,  with 
one  small  opening  into  a  common  yard  about  ten  feet 
square.  The  heat  was  increased  by  the  native  followers 
being  obliged  to  use  the  yard  for  cooking  purposes. 
The  missionary  took  steps  at  once  to  relieve  himself, 
by  sending  his  followers  to  the  forest  to  obtain 
materials  to  erect  a  bower  to  protect  him  from  the 
heat  of  the  sun.  In  this  contracted  space  he  received 
Mohammedan  visitors  and  king's  messengers  ;  but  all 
his  movements  were  watched  and  reported  to  the 
king.      It    was   evident  that   he    was    regarded  with 


62  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

great  suspicion,  and  it  was  difficult  to  make  the 
king's  officers  understand  the  disinterested  nature  of 
his  mission.  The  Apoko,  chief  linguist  and  foreign 
minister,  an  influential  State  officer,  had  charge  of  the 
stranger.  To  him  Mr.  Freeman  complained  of  being 
confined  in  so  close  and  unhealthy  a  place,  and  desired 
permission  to  walk  out  into  the  town  for  the  sake 
of  his  health.  This,  however,  was  denied  for  a  few 
days,  in  consequence  of  the  "  custom-keeping  "  for  the 
death  of  a  royal  relative. 

From  his  quarters  the  missionary  could  see  the 
ominous  wheeling  of  the  birds  of  prey  over  the  spots 
where  he  learnt  the  bodies  of  the  victims  lay. 
Throughout  the  day  he  heard  the  muffled  sound  of 
the  dreadful  death-drum.  Its  language  is  distinctly 
understood,  and  the  natives  know  from  it  the  moment 
when  the  sacrifice  is  made.  "  Hark ! "  said  Mr. 
Freeman's  interpreter  to  him  ; ''  do  you  hear  the  drum  ? 
A  sacrifice  has  just  been  made,  and  the  drum  says, 
^  King,  I  have  killed  him  ! '  "  Throughout  the  day 
the  bloody  work  proceeded  ;  not  only  in  Coomassie,for 
the  villages  surrounding  contributed  to  the  sacrifice. 
The  heads  of  the  poor  village  victims  were  brought 
into  the  town  in  baskets. 

During  the  day  the  king's  messengers  arrived  with 
a  small  present  and  a  kindly  message,  entreating  the 
missionary  not  to  stir  out,  as  His  Majesty  "knew 
Europeans  did  not  like  to  see  human  sacrifices." 
Another  day  brought  this  part  of  the  dreadful  funeral 
custom  to  a  close.  Forty  mctims  had  been  immolated 
within  two  days.  The  headless  bodies  were  permitted 
to  lie  in  the  streets  till  in  a  state  of  decomposition. 
Mr.  Freeman  was  amazed  to  witness  the  callous  indif- 
ference of  the  people,  who  walked  about  among  the 
putrefying  corpses  smoking  their  pipes,  and  utterly 
unmoved  by  a  scene  which  so  agitated  him. 

At  last  he  was  permitted  to  view  the  town.  He 
found  the  streets  large,  clean,  and  uniform,  with  a 
breadth,  in  some  instances,  of  quite  thirty  yards,  and 


THE   CITY  OF  BLOOD.  63 

"an  average  length  from  three  to  six  linndred  yards." 
Some  of  the  streets  were  delightfnlly  shaded  by  a 
row  of  sphindid  banyan  trees.  On  each  side  were  the 
honses  of  the  chief  inliabitants.  These  had  unique 
open  fronts,  carved  and  beantifnlly  polislied  witli  red 
ochre.  The  floors  were  raised  two  or  tliree  feet  above 
the  level  of  tlie  ground,  and  served  as  the  reception- 
room  for  callers.  Behind  these  open  rooms  were  a 
number  of  small  sheds  hidden  from  observation,  the 
private  apartments  of  the  people.  All  the  houses  were 
erected  on  the  same  plan.  Mr.  Freeman  fnrtlier 
describes  the  town  as  situated  on  a  bed  of  granite, 
and  the  streets  as  rongh  and  full  of  dangerous  holes 
washed  out  by  the  heavy  rains.  There  was  only  one 
stone-built  house,  which  was  within  the  royal  premises, 
and  was  known  as  the  "  Castle."  "  All  other  buildings 
were  of  wood  and  swish,  and  by  no  means  durable." 
There  was  a  large  market-place,  on  one  side  of  which 
the  bodies  of  the  victims  were  cast,  and  from  which 
there  arose  an  intolerable  stench. 

A  mile  distant  from  Coomassie  is  the  suburb  of 
Bantama,  where  is  the  mausoleum  in  which  repose 
the  ashes  of  former  kings.  Here  also  the  skulls  of 
great  enemies  are  kept,  which  are  brought  forth  for 
display  on  some  great  festivals.  Through  the  silent 
streets  of  this  sacred  i:>lace,  with  its  fetish  houses  and 
great  banyan  trees,  the  missionary  walked,  a  privileged 
visitor.  Before  leaving  the  sacred  precincts  he  was 
received  by  the  Amankwa  Tia,  one  of  the  great  state 
officers,  who  regaled  him  with  palm  wine. 

As  they  passed  under  the  banyans  on  their  way 
back  one  of  the  party  unwittingly  plucked  some  leaves 
from  one  of  the  sacred  trees.  As  Mr.  Freeman,  led 
by  his  botanical  i)i'Oclivities,  had  been  seen  gazing 
into  the  trees,  this  plucking  of  the  leaves  was  con- 
strued into  a  significant  act.  Jealous  watchers  sum- 
marily stopped  the  visitors  to  make  explanation.  It 
was,  however,  with  difficulty  that  these  keen  detectives 
could  be  persuaded  that  the  plucked  leaves  were  not 


64  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

meant  for  some  evil  fetisli.  To  the  Apoko  our  mis- 
sionary explained  more  fully,  showing  him  coloured 
illustrations  of  many  varieties  of  orchids,  a  beautiful 
specimen  of  which  had  attracted  his  notice  in  one  of 
the  trees. 

A  few  days  later  he  noticed  a  large  crowd  of 
persons  gathered  about  an  umbrella,  where  the  king- 
sat  drinking  palm  wine  with  his  chiefs.  A  band  of 
music  was  playiug,  and  a  hnman  victim  was  lying 
on  the  ground  exposed  to  jmblic  view.  This  public 
ceremony  of  palm-wine-drinking  was  the  prelude  to 
a  week's  partial  retirement  to  the  palace  to  complete 
the  "  custom  "  for  his  deceased  relative  who  had  died 
a  week  before. 

Thus  the  weekdays  were  filled  by  the  missionary 
in  making  observations,  and  the  Sabbath  was  spent  in 
declaring  the  gospel  to  those  who  would  hear.  His 
anxiety,  however,  to  return  to  the  coast  increased  as 
he  noted  that  the  rainy  season  was  rai)idly  approaching. 
The  last  Sunday  he  spent  there  on  this  occasion  brought 
an  undoubted  warning  that  if  he  would  reach  Cape 
Coast  in  safety  there  was  no  time  for  delay.  He 
writes  as  follows  under  date  of  April  14th  : — 

"  Early  this  evening  I  held  a  j^rayer-meeting,  which 
was  no  sooner  concluded  than  the  rain,  which  had  been 
threatening  for  several  hours,  commenced  with  awful 
violence.  In  a  few  minutes  the  small  yard  was 
covered  with  water  to  the  depth  of  twelve  or  fifteen 
inches  ;  and  as  the  thatch  of  my  sleejjing-shed  was 
in  bad  repair  the  rain  jDOured  in  upon  my  jdIIIow.  I 
soon  began  to  feel  the  evil  effects  of  the  damps,  and 
had  some  fears  as  to  the  consequences,  which  fears 
were  heightened  by  the  consideration  that  my  pro- 
visions were  so  nearly  exhausted." 

Mr.  Freeman  had  made  a  good  impression,  and  in 
the  fortnight  had  by  no  means  worn  out  his  welcome, 
but  he  saw  the  need  of  an  early  departure.  Already 
he  had  appealed  to  the  king  through  the  Apoko  for 
permission   to  return.      The  tornado  described  made 


THE   CITY  OF  BLOOD.  65 

iiira  more  in  earnest  to  attenijjt  tlie  jonrney  back. 
The  (lay  after  tlie  storm  the  king's  permission,  with  a 
characteristically  diplomatic  message  in  reference  to 
the  establishment  of  a  mission  in  Coomassie,  readied 
him.  The  Apoko,  attended  by  royal  servants  bearing- 
presents,  consisting  of  gold  dust  and  a  slave,  waited 
on  Mr.  Freeman  and  spoke  the  king's  words  : — 

''  His  Majesty  knows  that  you  cannot  sto})  longer 
on  account  of  the  rains.  As  the  thing  which  you  have 
mentioned  to  him  requires  much  consideration,  he 
cannot  answer  you  in  so  short  a  time.  If  you  will 
come  up  again  or  send  a  messenger  after  the  rains 
are  over,  he  will  be  prepared  to  answer  you." 

With  this  message  the  missionary  was  pleased,  and 
promised  either  to  come  again  himself  or  send  as 
desired.  He  then  repaired  to  the  palace  to  take  a 
formal  leave  of  the  king.  He  was  received  with  great 
cordiality,  and  desired  by  His  Majesty  to  convey  his 
compliments  to  President  Maclean.  As  he  proceeded 
along  the  street  the  Ajjoko,  who  had  proved  a  true 
friend,  followed  to  give  him  a  hearty  hand-sliake  to 
testify  his  affection. 

Mr.  Freeman  was  not  a  slave-holder  for  long.  On 
again  reaching  the  little  village  of  Franfraham,  lie 
halted  a  few  minutes  to  emancipate  the  j)oor  fellow. 
He  was  a  native  from  the  far  interior  in  the  prime 
of  his  life.  The  missionary's  statement  is  worth 
reading :  "  On  my  informing  him  that  he  was  now  a 
free  man,  he  appeared  overwhelmed  with  gratitude, 
and  almost  fell  on  the  earth  before  me  in  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  boon.  He  had  not  all  the  pleasure 
to  himseli',  however  ;  for  while  I  enjoyed  the  luxury 
of  doing  good,  many  of  my  people  looked  on  him 
with  delight.  Our  satisfaction  was  heightened  Avhen 
he  told  us  that  he  had  twice  been  brought  out 
for  the  purpose  of  sacrifice  during  the  recent 
'  customs.'  He  had  twice  been  put  in  irons  and  sent 
back  alive.  When  he  was  brought  out  this  morning 
he  expected  to  be  sacrificed  in  the  course  of  the  day. 

5 


66  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

Hajipy  change  !  Instead  of  having  his  head  cut  off 
and  his  body  thrown  to  the  fowls  of  the  air,  he  now 
finds  himself  in  the  enjoyment  of  liberty,  safely 
proceeding  with  ns,  far  away  from  the  scenes  of  his 
bondage." 

The  party  proceeded  with  speed.  Sometimes  they 
had  to  take  shelter  from  a  fierce  tornado,  but  scarcely 
dared  to  rest  long  in  one  x)lace,  or  even  halt  to  take  food. 
As  Freeman  states,  "  he  pushed  onwards  like  a  man 
escaping  for  life."  Already  the  clayey  paths  were  so 
slij)pery  that  the  carriers  frequently  fell.  So  danger- 
ous was  it  that  he  scarcely  dared  trust  himself  in  the 
hammock,  but  accomplished  a  great  j^ortion  of  the 
journey  on  foot. 

He  reached  Fumana  wet,  weary,  and  hungry,  but 
received  a  flattering  welcome  from  his  old  acquaint- 
ance Korinchi.  Here  is  his  record  :  "  He  seemed 
overjoyed  to  see  me,  gave  me  a  hearty  shake  with 
both  hands,  put  his  arms  around  my  neck  in  transport, 
and  made  me  a  present  of  palm  wine  and  a  mess  of 
soup  made  from  the  flesh  of  the  monkey.  I  then 
retired  to  my  lodgings,  and  thankfully  partook  of  the 
chief's  monkey-soup  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  hunger, 
having  little  else  to  eat." 

Having  received  the  chief's  promise  to  help  forward 
Freeman's  scheme  for  the  establishment  of  a  mission 
in  Coomassie,  and  his  assistance  in  the  suj^ply  of  four 
men  to  carry  one  of  his  attendants  who  had  fallen  ill, 
he  sped  away  over  the  Adansi  hills  and  through  the 
forest,  till  from  sheer  weariness  he  was  obliged  to  rest 
in  a  small  village  for  the  night.  Early  in  the  morning 
he  was  again  on  the  way,  travelling  all  day  with  little 
food.  When  he  drew  near  to  the  river  Prah  he  found 
that  "  the  God  of  providence  had  kindly  furnished 
him  with  a  table  in  the  wilderness.  A  wild  hog  had 
been  killed  in  the  neighbourhood,  a  portion  of  which 
he  purchased  and  found  very  delicious."  And  there 
under  a  rough  shed  he  slept  the  night.  At  daybreak 
■he   started  for   the   Prah,  crossed   the   river,  and   at 


THE   CITY  OF  BLOOD.  67 

Priisliu,  oil  the  Fanti  side,  partook  of  brcaki'ast. 
There  he  rested  a  few  hours  for  his  followers  to 
refresh  themselves  in  the  river,  which  again  flowed 
between  him  and  Ashanti. 

With  all  his  desire  to  reach  Cape  Coast  he  was 
mindful  of  the  Sabbath.  At  Fesu  he  rested  on  the 
holy  day,  and  preached  to  tlie  people  from  the  words, 
*'  AVhat  sluill  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul?  or  what  sliall  a  man 
give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  ?  "  To  his  deliverance 
the  natives  paid  great  attention.  He  closed  the  day 
with  a  prayer-meeting. 

Next  day  at  Mansu  he  met  a  messenger  from  the 
coast  bearing  a  welcome  supply  of  food.  "  Thus,"  he 
added,  "  I  was  enabled  to  take  a  comfortable  breakfast 
consisting  of  suitable  food,  the  want  of  which  I  had 
felt  severely  during  the  last  seven  or  eight  days.  My 
people,  who  had  seen  with  regret  the  privation  I 
suft'ered,  sat  at  a  distance  looking  upon  me  whilst 
I  was  taking  my  breakfast.  Their  countenances  told 
how  happy  they  were  to  see  my  wants  sui)plied." 

With  renewed  strength  he  pushed  bravely  on.  He 
found  that  already  the  rains  had  quickened  the  luxuri- 
ant vegetation.  In  many  places  the  j^ath  was  almost 
overgrown,  making  it  difficult  to  push  through.  He 
did  not  slacken,  however,  till  he  was  within  nine  miles 
of  Cape  Coast,  when  he  found  his  carriers  so  utterly 
weary  that  they  could  proceed  no  farther. 

Here  he  left  the  greater  i)ortion  of  his  following, 
and,  with  his  hammock  men,  proceeded  under  the 
bright  hglit  of  a  tropical  moon  to  complete  his  journey. 
He  reached  the  mission-house  at  Cape  Coast  about 
nine  o'clock  on  the  night  of  Tuesday,  April  23rd, 
1839,  "and  obtained  a  refreshing  view  of  the  '  deep, 
deep  sea,'  with  feelings  of  humble  gratitude  to 
Almiglity  God  who  had  mercifully  preserved  him  in 
the  midst  of  so  many  dangers,  and  brought  him  home 
ill  health,  peace,  and  safety."  He  had  thus  covered 
the  distance  from  (Joomassie  in  eight  days,  a  journey 


68  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

which  had  taken  two  months  to  accomplish  on  his 
way  thither. 

Thus  he  had  been  to  the  city  of  blood.  He  had 
witnessed  for  himself  the  human  sacrifices,  and  his 
heart  yearned  to  save  the  poor  degraded  people. 
Ashanti  now  rested  as  a  great  burden  upon  his  heart, 
and  he  would  not  rest  till  he  had  committed  the 
Missionary  Society  to  the  establishment  of  a  mission 
there.  He  wrote  to  the  secretaries  as  follows  :  "  It 
is  true  that  this  spiritual  Jericho  at  present  stands 
strong,  and  that  Satan,  its  monster  king,  still  has  the 
triumph  of  seeing  thousands  of  helpless  men  for 
whom  Christ  died  dashed  into  the  dust  in  dishonour. 
But  Israel  shall  surely  triumph.  The  mystical  ram's 
horns  shall  not  be  blown  in  vain.  The  enemy  shall 
be  taken  in  his  stronghold,  and  the  Redeemer  shall 
have  these  '  heathen '  for  His  '  inheritance,'  and  the 
^  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  His  possession.'  " 


EMBARKING  THROUGH  SURF  AT  ACCRA. 


CHAPTER  VIL 


LABOURS   ABUNDANT  ;    SOREOWS    OFT. 


THE  l)uil(ling  of  the  cliurcli  at  the  coast  town  of 
Aiiamabn,  about  twelve  miles  to  the  east  of  Cape 
Coast,  had  evidently  absorbed  much  of  Freeman's 
time  and  thonght.  The  foundation  had  been  laid  ten 
months  before  the  time  of  his  visit  to  Ashanti,  and 
similar  scenes  to  those  we  have  described  in  connection 
with  the  building*  at  Cape  Coast  were  witnessed.  All 
classes  of  the  people  were  to  be  seen  busily  engaged, 
sometimes  as  early  as  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, carrying  clay  and  other  material  for  the  structure. 

To  their  pliysical  labour  they  added  their  gifts, 
and  their  noble  efforts  were  crowned  with  success  in 
securing  the  buikling  from  the  destructive  influences 
of  the  heavy  rains. 

So  interested  was  Freeman  in  this  enterprise  tliat 
he  gave  himself  only  a  few  days'  rest,  which  he 
occupied  in  copying  and  sending  off  his  journal  to  the 
missionary  committee.  Then,  taking  with  him  a  few 
carpenters  and  bricklayers,  he  hastened  to  the  help  of 
the  Anamabu  Christians,  so  as  to  ensure  the  com- 
pletion of  their  sanctuary  by  the  time  of  the  opening 
ceremony. 

69 


70  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

The  foundation  was  of  stone,  the  upper  portions 
of  the  walls  were  of  s?vish,  and  the  roof  was  thatched 
with  the  long  grass  of  the  conntr}'.  It  was  fift3^-three 
feet  long  by  thirty  broad,  and  was  estimated  to  seat 
four  or  five  hundred  persons. 

Seventeen  years  after,  when  the  people  were  ])Ye- 
l^ring  for  a  more  pretentious  building,  it  was 
pronounced  by  a  visitor*  ''a  rude  structure,  and 
inconveniently  small "  ;  but  at  this  time  the  j^eople 
looked  with  pride  upon  this  house  which  they  had 
erected  for  the  Lord,  and  Snnday,  May  26th,  1839, 
the  date  of  opening,  was  a  high  day  with  these 
simple-minded  Christians. 

The  people  repaired  early  to  the  house  of  prayer, 
and  at  7  a.m.  Freeman  conducted  the  service,  preach- 
ing to  an  attentive  congregation  from  Psalm  c.  3,  4  : 
"  Know  ye  that  the  Lord  He  is  God  :  it  is  He  that 
hath  made  us,  and  not  we  ourselves  ;  we  are  His 
l^eople,  and  the  sheep  of  His  jmsture.  Enter  into  His 
gates  with  thanksgiving,  and  into  His  courts  with 
praise  :  be  thankful  unto  Him,  and  bless  His  name." 
"  Many  felt  it  to  be  a  delightful  service,  and  the  tear 
of  gratitude  to  Almighty  God  was  shed."  Many  of 
the  church  members  of  Cape  Coast  were  present  to 
share  with  their  fellow-Christians  the  blessings  of 
the  day.  Li  the  afternoon  at  three  Freeman  again 
jn-eached  to  a  congregation,  in  and  around  the  building, 
of  about  a  thousand  people,  taking  for  his  subject 
the  beautiful  description  of  the  rest  of  the  people 
of  God  in  Heb.  iv.  9-13.  Li  the  evening  he  con- 
ducted a  third  service,  preaching  to  a  large  and 
attentive  congregation  from  Heb.  iv.  14-16,  on  the 
High-priesthood  of  Christ.  All  these  themes  were 
singularly  appropriate  to  the  occasion,  and  many 
felt  it  "good  to  wait  on  the  Lord."  Considering 
their  previous  exertions,  the  collections  that  day 
were  remarkably  good,  amounting  to  more  than  ten 
pounds. 

*  Life  of  Daniel  West,  p.  220. 


LABOURS  ABUNDANT;   SORROWS  OFT.         71 

Tlie  gentlemen  residing  at  Anamabn  looked  favour- 
ably npo-n  the  undertaking,  and  contributed  liberally 
to  the  building  fund  ;  whilst  otliers  at  Cape  Coast 
added  their  names  to  a  subscrijition  list  which  sliowed 
tlie  substantial  sum  of  thirty-two  pounds.  Mr.  Henry 
Barnes  receives  lionourable  mention  l)y  Freeman,  for 
he  not  only  contributed  liandsomely,  but  superintended 
the  work  in  Freeman's  absence,  sending  his  own 
workmen  to  assist  in  the  building  without  charge, 
and  freely  opening  his  house  to  the  missionary  when- 
soever he  visited  Anamabn. 

Mr.  Freeman  then  continued  his  journey  east- 
ward along  the  coast,  lialting  at  Winnebah  to  inspect 
the  church  in  course  of  erection  ;  and  having  arranged 
to  expedite  the  work  of  completion  he  proceeded  to 
Accra,  where  he  was  shown  great  kindness  by  the 
commandant  and  other  gentlemen. 

During  his  stay  at  Accra  the  commandant  per- 
mitted him  the  use  of  a  large  hall  in  the  fort,  in 
which  to  meet  the  members  of  tlie  church,  which, 
with  the  schools,  he  found  in  a  flourishing  condition. 
There  were  thirty-five  members. 

In  tlie  boys'  school,  which  had  been  established  six 
months,  he  found  sixty-five  scholars  ;  and  in  the 
girls'  school,  which  had  been  established  two  months, 
twenty.  The  local  government  had  undertaken  to 
bear  half  the  expense  of  the  boys'  school,  and,  till 
permanent  provision  could  be  made,  located  them  in 
the  fort,  and  also  made  comfortable  arrangements  for 
tlie  master  and  mistress. 

Freeman  was  pleased  with  these  early  beginnings, 
and  considered  the  prosi)ects  most  encouraging.  When 
writing  to  the  missionary  secretaries  he  begged  that 
a  missionary  should  be  sent  to  this  place  without 
delay. 

Having  encouraged  the  Christians  of  Accra  and 
satisfied  himself  as  to  the  nature  of  the  work,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  days  he  retraced  his  steps  to 
Winnebah,  where  lie  jiroceeded  to   put  the  finishing 


72  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

touches  upon  the  little  church.  This  is  his  own 
record  :  "  In  eight  daj^s  after  my  return  we  had  a 
neat  pulpit  erected,  the  floor  fitted  up  with  fixed 
benches,  and  every  arrangement  made  for  opening  it 
on  Sunday,  June  23rd,  1839.  At  7  a.m.  we  held  a 
prayer-meeting  ;  ...  at  eleven  I  read  prayers,  and 
preached  to  an  attentive  and  serious  congregation 
from  '  For  thy  Maker  is  thine  Husband  ;  the  Lord  of 
Hosts  is  His  name,'  etc.  (Isa.  liv.  5-8).  God  was  in 
the  midst  of  us,  and  blessed  us. 

"  The  chief  and  many  of  the  more  respectable 
heathens  in  the  town  were  present,  many  of  whom 
paid  deep  attention  to  the  words  spoken.  At  3 
p.m.  I  again  preaclied  to  a  large  congregation,  from 
^It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die'  (Heb.  ix.  27). 
The  chief  and  his  captains  again  attended  and  behaved 
well. 

"The  respectable  conduct  of  these  heathens  re- 
minded me  of  the  great  change  which  has  taken  place 
in  the  character  of  the  Winnebah  people  during  the 
last  few  years.  Some  time  ago  there  was  a  small 
English  fort  in  the  centre  of  the  town.  Misunder- 
standings having  arisen  between  the  natives  and  the 
commandant,  the  former  rebelled  against  tJie  latter 
and  killed  him.  The  consequence  was  that  some 
British  men-of-war  fired  on  the  town  as  they  sailed 
past  it,  and  battered  the  fort  to  the  ground,  causing 
the  refractory  inhabitants  to  retreat  into  the  forest. 
On  the  very  spot  where  the  fort  stood,  and  where 
these  unhappy  events  took  place,  stands  our  chapel  ; 
and  here  also  were  gathered  together,  peacefully 
listening  to  the  words  of  eternal  life,  the  descendants 
of  those  who  had  in  former  days  been  assembled 
to  shed  l)lood.  This  happy  change  has  taken  place 
])artly  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  local 
government  of  Cape  Coast,  and  partly  by  the  intro- 
duction of  that  incomparable  blessing,  Christianity." 

After  the  afternoon  service  Freeman  conversed  with 
the  people  on   the  subject   of  establisliing  a  school 


LABOURS  ABUNDANT;   SORROWS  OFT.         73 

foT  tlio  instrncfion  of  tlie  cliildrcii.  Findino-  tliem  in 
sym])atliy,  Ue  arrang'ed  to  send  one  of  tlie  yontlis 
he  had  in  training  at  C^ape  C'Oast  to  begin  this 
work. 

Freeman  regarded  Winnebah  as  of  great  importance 
to  the  mission,  and  gives  the  following  as  one  of  his 
reasons  :  *'  While  toiling  along  the  coast  for  a  distance 
of  nearly  a  hnndred  miles  visiting  onr  societies,  I 
find  Winncliah  a  delightfnl  retreat  from  the  heavy 
sandy  beach,  the  burning  rays  of  an  almost  vertical 
sun,  and  the  strong  breeze  from  the  Atlantic.  I  hope 
to  see  much  lasting  good  result  from  the  erection 
of  the  chapel  and  the  establishment  of  a  school." 

At  this  time  he  also  reports  that  a  few  Christians 
at  Salt  Pond,  eight  miles  to  the  east  of  Anamabu, 
which  lie  describes  as  a  small  "  croom,"  but  to-day  is 
an  imi)ortant  palm-oil  mart,  were  intending  to  build 
a  place  of  worshij)  at  their  own  expense.  Freeman 
promised  to  return,  when  the  rains  were  over,  to  begin 
the  building  for  them. 

He  had  been  a  few  days  only  at  Anamabu,  when 
the  unpleasant  news  arrived  that  the  heavy  rains  were 
seriously  damaging  the  church  at  Cai)e  Coast.  He 
hastened  to  view  the  reported  damage,  but  to  his 
joy  he  found  nothing  to  cause  alarm.  He  purchased 
and  at  once  pulled  down  two  old  native  houses, 
which,  in  case  of  fire,  would  endanger  the  church. 
We  then  find  him  negotiating  the  purchase  of  ^'the 
present  mission-house,"  and  contem])lating  the  re- 
moval of  the  girls'  school  to  these  premises  from  the 
old  house  taken  by  Mr.  Wrigley. 

Calls  were  coming  from  all  directions,  and  Freeman's 
labours  at  this  time  must  have  been  prodigious  ;  but 
he  devoted  himself  with  apostolic  ardour  to  the 
accom])lishraent  of  his  great  purpose,  laying  a  broad 
foundation  for  the  uprearing  of  a  splendid  monument 
of  Christian  missionary  enterprise. 

Before  the  close  of  the  year  he  was  able  to  write 
the  following  good  news  to  the  missionary  authorities 


74  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

in  England  :  ''  The  results  of  my  mission  to  Ashanti 
are  now  beginning  to  be  manifest.  The  king,  I  hear 
from  good  authority,  is  becoming  anxious  respecting 
the  establishment  of  a  school  in  Coomassie,  and  is 
expecting  me  to  pay  him  another  visit  ;  and  many 
of  the  Ashantis  who  became  acquainted  with  me 
during  my  late  visit  call  at  the  mission-house  to  see 
me  when  they  come  down  to  Cape  Coast.  A  brother 
of  Korinchi  has  this  morning  (September  17th)  paid  me 
a  visit,  presenting  his  regards,  and  stating  that  they 
will  be  very  hap2:)y  to  see  me  in  Ashanti  again.  If 
the  advantage  already  gained  can  be  followed  up,  I 
have  no  doubt  that,  under  the  blessing  of  the  God  of 
missions,  we  shall  in  due  time  meet  with  abundant 
success." 

In  the  meantime  Freeman's  journals  of  his  visit 
to  Ashanti,  extracts  from  which  we  have  already 
made  from  time  to  time,  had  been  read  and  considered 
by  the  missionary  officials,  and  this  is  the  conclusion 
at  which  they  arrive  :  "  On  the  receipt  at  the  Wesleyan 
Mission  in  London  of  Mr.  Freeman's  journal  .  .  . 
the  question  '-  What  shall  be  done  ? '  became  the 
subject  of  grave  consideration  on  the  part  of  the 
missionary  committee,  under  whose  direction  Mr. 
Freeman  acted.  The  ordinary  annual  income  of  the 
Society  was  already  pledged  for  the  support  of  existing 
missions  ;  and  yet  the  committee  durst  not  take  upon 
themselves  the  responsibility  of  refusing  to  attempt., 
at  least,  the  establishment  of  a  mission  in  Ashanti. 
It  was  at  length  resolved  that  Mr.  Freeman  should 
be  allowed  to  return  home  for  a  time,  partly  for  the 
l)urpose  of  recruiting  his  health,  but  more  i)articularly 
with  a  view  to  a  special  effort  being  made,  in  order 
to  raise  the  funds  necessary  for  the  new  undertaking  ; 
and  two  missionaries  were  immediately  sent  to  relieve 
him  for  a  time  from  his  laborious  duties  at  the 
Gold  Coast."  Freeman  continued,  however,  in  his 
lonely  toil,  so  far  as  European  aid  was  concerned, 
to  tlie  end  of  the  vear  1839. 


LABOURS  ABUNDANT;   SORROWS  OFT.        75 

On  January  13t]i,  1840,  lie  liad  the  joy  of  welcoming; 
the  two  missionaries  referred  to,  the  liev.  J.  M.  Monnt- 
ford  and  Mrs.  Monntford,  witli  ]lev.  Kobert  Brooking. 

After  a  few  montlis  of  fellowsliip  witli  tliese  two 
liononred  brethren,  tlie  former  of  whom  is  now  passing- 
a  quiet  eventide  in  retirement  after  the  Labours  of  a 
long-  lif(^,  Freeman  voyaged  to  England,  and  under 
date  June  ISth,  1840,  the  secretaries  of  the  mission 
made  the  following  announcement :  "  We  have  plea- 
sure in  stating  that  the  Rev.  Thomas  Birch  Freeman, 
the  senior  AVesleyan  missionary  on  the  Gold  Coast 
in  Western  Africa,  .  .  .  arrived  in  London  on  Thursday 
last."  It  was  further  announced  that  he  was  accom- 
panied by  AVilliam  de  Graft,  and  that  their  stay 
would  be  about  four  months,  when  ''  Mr.  Freeman 
hopes  to  return,  .  .  .  accompanied  by  six  other  mis- 
sionaries. Four  of  these  are  intended  to  be  his 
companions  in  the  glorious  enterprise  of  attempting 
to  establish  a  mission  among  the  four  millions  of 
men  who  constitute  the  population  of  the  powerful 
kingdom  of  Ashanti  and  its  dependencies  ;  and  thus 
to  introduce  (Christianity,  education,  and  civilisation 
into  one  important  portion  of  tliat  great  continent 
to  which  Britain  owes  so  vast  a  debt  of  reparation 
for  the  wrongs  and  miseries  of  the  accursed  slave 
trade.  This  mission  may  now  be  considered  as  fully 
determined  upon  by  the  AVesleyan  Missionary  Society, 
in  accordance  with  the  resolution  of  the  late  annual 
meeting  in  London." 

During  this  visit  Mr.  Freeman  was  entertained  as 
an  honoured  guest  at  Orwell  Park  by  his  old 
employer,  Sir  Robert  Harland.  Lady  Harland  had  a 
house  purposely  constructed  for  the  care  and  culture 
of  some  valuable  tropical  plants  which  their  old 
gardener  had  brought  with  him  as  a  present. 

Mr.  Freeman  and  his  native  companion  were  enthu- 
siastically received  by  the  English  audiences  which 
they  addressed.  De  Graft's  manuscript  journal,  which 
he  once  lent  to  the  writer  of  this  book,  makes  frequent 


76  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

reference  to  these  wonderful  receptions.  We  take  tlie 
following  from  the  official  statement :  — 

"  The  results  of  Mr.  Freeman's  visit  to  several  of 
the  princi])al  towns  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  were 
of  the  most  gratifying  description.  Members  of  the 
Church  of  England,  some  of  whom  are  in  the  higher 
walks  of  life,  and  Christians  of  other  denominations, 
as  well  as  the  members  of  the  Wesleyan  community, 
responded  to  the  novel  and  deeply  interesting  appeal  ; 
and  by  these  united  exertions  the  proposed  sum  of 
£5,000  was  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Wesleyan 
(yommittee,  to  enable  them  to  send  with  Mr.  Freeman, 
on  his  return,  six  additional  missionaries.  ...  At 
Mr.  Freeman's  suggestion,  the  committee  agreed  so 
far  to  comply  with  the  established  African  custom  of 
offering  presents,  as  to  send  for  the  king  of  Ashanti 
.  .  .  a  suitable  carriage,  which  was  noticed  with 
approbation  by  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty  and  His 
Royal  Highness  Prince  Albert,  to  whose  inspection 
it  was  submitted  by  Mr.  Sims,  the  builder." 

On  Monday,  December  1st,  1840,  a  special  ordination 
and  valedictory  service  was  held  at  Great  Queen 
Street  Chapel,  London,  in  connection  with  the  depar- 
ture of  the  missionaries  ;  and  although  very  little 
previous  notice  was  given,  so  keen  was  the  interest 
that  the  chapel  was  well  filled. 

The  service  was  conducted  by  the  well-known 
ministers  Bunting,  Hannah,  Alder,  Beecham,  and  Hoole ; 
and  the  five  missionaries  were  solemnly  ordained,  after 
giving  a  brief  account  of  the  circumstances  which  led 
to  their  offer  for  the  arduous  service  in  Western 
Africa. 

Mr.  Freeman,  on  being  introduced  to  the  audience, 
expressed  his  gratitude  for  the  kindness  extended  to 
him  during  his  visit,  and  for  the  deep  interest  mani- 
fested in  his  mission.  William  de  Graft,  who  was 
now  received  as  a  regular  agent,  took  his  leave  of 
the  Christian  public  in  an  interesting  address  ;  and  to 
him  Dr.  Bunting  presented  a  copy  of  the  Bible,  and 


LABOURS  ABUNDANT;   SORROWS  OFT.         77 

expressed  a  liopc  tliat  he  would  continue  to  spread 
its  important  truths  among  liis  countrymen. 

The  saintly  Dr.  Hannah  then  delivered  an  a])pro- 
])riate  charge,  and  Dr.  Bunting  led  the  audience  in 
fervent  prayer  for  the  success  of  the  missionaries, 
and  thus  brought  to  a  close  a  memorable  public 
service. 

The  next  day  there  was  a  formal  leave-taking  of 
the  general  committee  and  the  ministers  of  London 
and  its  vicinity  at  Hattoii  Garden  ;  and  on  Thursday, 
December  3rd,  184U,  this  large  missionary  party,  con- 
sisting of  eleven  persons,  embarked  on  the  brig 
Osborne^  and  sailed  from  Gravesend. 

Mr.  Freeman  had  been  so  fortunate  as  to  find 
another  English  lady  to  accompany  him  as  his  wife. 
This  lady  was  a  native  of  Bristol,  from  which  place 
Mr.  Freeman  married  her  a  few  weeks  before  his 
departure,  and  "  was  eminently  calculated  by  her  piety 
and  talents  to  aid  him  in  his  important  operations." 

In  addition  there  were  two  other  ladies,  the  wives 
of  Messrs.  Hesk  and  Sliipman.  Mr.  Freeman  had  a 
native  boy  and  William  de  Graft  accompanying  him, 
whilst  Messrs.  Watson,  Thackwray,  and  Walden  were 
unmarried.  Never  was  a  missionary  party  dismissed 
from  the  shores  of  England  with  a  more  intense  feel- 
ing of  interest  and  symi)athy.  The  j)rayers  of  the 
Avhole  Methodist  Church  and  many  of  other  Christian 
communions  followed  the  missionaries  and  the  inter- 
ests of  the  mission  to  which  tliey  were  designated. 
Freeman  subsequently  refers  to  a  "  delightful  and 
happy  Covenant  Service  "  held  on  board  on  the  lirst 
►Sunday  of  the  New  Year. 

On  Monday,  February  1st,  1841,  the  whole  i>arty, 
in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health,  and  full  of  large 
hopes,  reached  their  destination, — tlie  largest  con- 
tingent of  Wesley  an  missionaries  that  ever  landed  at 
one  time  on  the  Gold  Coast,  re^jresenting  in  the  most 
emphatic  manner  the  intensity  of  feeling  created  in 
England  in  reference  to  this  interesting  mission. 


78  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

The  Cape  Coast  annual  missionary  meeting  liad 
been  postponed  to  Marcli  29tli,  to  secure  the  advan- 
tage of  the  presence  of  Freeman  and  his  companions. 
With  his  usual  urbanity  and  liberality,  President 
Maclean  consented  to  preside  ;  and  there  must  have 
been  unusual  excitement,  for  whilst  the  collection  in 
cash  amounted  to  fourteen  pounds,  many  gave  in 
kind,  bringing  goats  and  sheep,  which,  when  sold, 
realised  a  good  sum,  the  total  reaching  to  the 
respectable  amount  of  nearly  fifty-two  pounds,  in- 
dicative of  the  whole-heartedness  of  the  Fanti 
Christians. 

The  pleasing  prospect  of  having  so  large  a  party 
of  fellow-workers  was  soon  blighted  by  the  treachery 
of  the  climate.  The  first  reduction  of  the  staff  was 
occasioned  by  the  needful  return  to  England  in  the 
month  of  March,  only  a  few  weeks  after  their  arrival, 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mountford.  In  the  month  of  May 
William  Thackwray  died  at  Anamabu,  after  a  brief 
illness  of  eight  days.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Freeman  had 
gone"  thither,  intending  to  accomj^any  him  to  Domo- 
nasi,  his  intended  station.  From  thence  Freeman 
had  written  a  letter  to  the  committee  stating  that 
all  the  brethren  had  proceeded  to  their  stations,  except 
Mr.  Thackwray,  who  was  ])reparing  to  start  early  the 
next  morning.  The  young  missionary  himself  also 
wrote  a  letter,  which  was  full  of  hope,  and  stated  that 
he  had  been  permitted  to  introduce  the  gospel  into 
Ega,  a  small  beach  village  about  a  mile  from  Anamabu, 
a  place  visited  by  Mr.  Wrigley,  but  from  jjressure  of 
circumstances  afterwards  neglected.  He  also  stated 
that  his  com2)anion,  Mr.  Hesk,  had  been  ill.  It  is 
evident  that  the  j)urpose  of  going  to  Domonasi  was 
never  fulfilled,  and  Freeman  had  the  sad  duty  of 
bringing  back  his  dead  body  to  Cape  Coast  for 
burial. 

Charles  AValden  was  the  next  to  fall  a  victim  to 
the  fever  of  the  country,  and  passed  away  on  July 
29th.     Then  there  fell  ujjon  Freeman  a  heavier  blow, 


LA  HOURS  A/iUXDAXT;   SORROWS  OFT.  79 

ill  the  death  of  his  second  wife.  Soon  after  tlieir 
arrival  it  was  feared  that  Mrs.  Freeman  woiikl  not  be 
al)h'  to  endure  the  climate,  and  preparations  were 
being  made  for  her  to  return  to  England  ;  but  before 
an  opportunity  oftered  she  was  seized  with  illness, 
wliicli  terminated  fatally  on  August  SOth,  1841. 

President  Maclean,  in  writing  to  the  missionary 
committee  in  England,  states  that  "  her  d(!ath  was 
occasioned  by  an  hereditary  and  peculiar  complaint." 

Three  days  after,  Mrs.  Hesk,  too,  died  at  Anamabii, 
and  her  body  was  brought  to  lie  by  the  side  of 
her  companions  in  the  burial-yard  attached  to  the 
AVesleyan  Church  at  Cape  Coast,  but  which  now, 
owing  to  extensions,  is  covered  by  the  rostrum  and 
communion. 

Mr.  Hesk's  health  failed  him  soon  after  landing  in 
Africa  ;  and  though  he  tried  the  effects  of  one  or  two 
short  voyages  on  the  coast,  he  continued  in  a  very 
debilitated  state,  and  in  September  he  embarked  for 
England. 

Thus  in  about  six  months  the  mission  staff  was 
reduced  by  more  than  one-half ;  but  the  indomitable 
spirit  of  our  missionary  shows  itself  in  the  statement 
he  makes  in  a  letter  to  the  secretaries  at  this  time, 
which  we  quote  :  "  Though  my  ox)portunities  of  be- 
coming accpiainted,  since  my  return,  with  tlie  spiritual 
state  of  our  Societies  have  been  rather  limited,  yet 
I  rejoice  to  say  that  1  find  many  things  of  a  very 
encouraging  character.  There  is  a  marked  attention 
paid  to  the  preaching  of  the  AVord  of  Life.  Our  seasons 
of  grace  at  the  Lord's  table  have  been  of  the  most 
hallowed  description.  The  prayer-meetings  are  very 
exhilarating  means  of  grace,  and  the  congregations  are 
generally  good." 

At  this  time  the  ships  of  the  noted  Niger  Ex2)edi- 
tion  arrived,  bringing  the  two  Ashanti  princes  who 
had  been  educated  in  England,  William  Kwantamissah 
and  John  Osoo  Ansah.  Whilst  at  Accra,  President 
Maclean,  Captain  Tucker  of  the   Iris,  and  the   two 


8o  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

Captains  Allen  of  the  Soudan  and  Wilberforce,  called 
upon  Freeman,  who  was  visiting  the  Church  there. 
They  urged  tbe  desirability  of  sending  a  missionary  to 
the  banks  of  the  Gaboon,  and  offered  to  convey  a 
suitable  man  to  inspect,  and  bring  him  back  to  the 
Gold  Coast.  Freeman  entreated  the  committee  to 
send  a  man  for  the  proposed  station.  This  enterprise, 
however,  was  never  taken  uj). 

On  the  arrival  of  the  Ashanti  princes,  Freeman 
hastened  his  preparations  to  start  on  his  second 
journey  to  Ashanti,  and  arranged  that  during  his 
absence  the  coast  stations  should  be  left  in  the  charge 
of  Messrs,  Shipman  and  Watson. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


PLANTING   THE    CHURCH   IN   ASHANTI. 


ON  Saturday,  November  6th,  1841,  Freeman  started 
on  his  second  journey  to  Ashanti.  He  was 
accompanied  by  the  yonng  princes,  who  were  attended 
by  an  imposing  retinue,  numbering  in  all  some  three 
hundred  and  forty  men,  one-half  of  whom  were 
Ashantis,  the  larger  proportion  of  the  remainder  being- 
employed  for  the  difficult  task  of  conveying  the  car- 
riage brought  from  England  as  a  present  to  the  king. 

Mr.  Brooking  also  accompanied  Freeman,  to  take 
up  the  honourable  and  perilous  duty  of  the  first  resi- 
dent missionary  in  Coomassie.  With  some  advantage 
ho  had  occupied  Mansu  for  two  months  ;  Freeman 
noted  that  this  short  residence  had  produced  a  good 
effect  upon  the  people  in  the  removal  of  prejudice  ; 
and  doubtless  the  young  missionary  had  obtained 
valuable  experience,  which  was  calculated  to  be  of 
service  to  him  when  more  entirely  cut  off  from  his 
brethren  on  the  coast. 

President    Maclean's    interest   was    shown   in   the 
8i  6 


82  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

sending  of  a  sergeant  and  six  soldiers  to  the  banks 
of  the  Prah  ;  whilst  Mr.  Henry  Smith,  a  prominent 
native  Christian  gentleman,  accompanied  the  party  all 
the  way. 

Along  the  track  already  described  in  a  former 
chapter,  Mr.  Freeman  toiled  with  his  large  following, 
and  with  incredible  labonr  dragged  the  carriage 
throngh  the  forest,  across  the  river,  and  over  the  hills. 
At  first  it  was  borne  bodily  npon  the  men's  shoulders 
and  heads,  and  then  placed  npon  wheels,  as  probably 
an  easier  method  of  procedure.  Here  clearings  had  to 
be  made  through  the  narrow  ''  bush  path,"  and  there 
a  huge  forest  tree  removed  or  a  new  way  cut  around 
it.  Freeman  tramped  nearly  the  whole  of  the  journey, 
and  worked  as  hard  as  any  labourer  in  bringing  this 
strange  present  to  the  king  of  Ashanti.  He  suffered 
from  constant  violent  attacks  of  toothache,  aggravated 
by  his  being  wet  in  his  feet  and  legs  nearly  all  day 
long,  caused  by  the  incessant  rains. 

The  journey,  however,  was  enlivened  by  the  excite- 
ment caused  in  the  villages  and  towns  by  so  large 
a  party  passing  through.  Sometimes  the  "  rustic 
bands,"  with  their  strange  music,  turned  out  to  lead 
the  party  triumj^hantly  into  their  village  ;  and  then  a 
number  of  native  labourers  would  assist  in  clearing 
the  path  and  help  the  carriage  through  their  territory. 
Occasionally  darkness  would  settle  upon  them  while 
the  party  were  in  the  heart  of  the  forest,  miles  from 
any  village,  when  a  number  of  men  had  to  remain  on 
the  spot  all  night  to  guard  their  unique  treasure. 

The  Sabbaths  were  times  of  rest  and  refreshment, 
and  the .  little  towns  were  made  to  echo  with  sacred 
song,  and  the  AVord  of  Life  was  declared  by  Freeman 
and  his  companions  to  the  natives  who  gathered  round. 

On  reaching  the  Prah  he  was  met  by  a  royal 
messenger  bearing  a  letter  from  Kwaku  Duah,  urging 
him  to  quicken  his  steps.  The  king  was  evidently 
becoming  impatient  to  see  Freeman  and  the  present 
which  was  being  conveyed  with  so  much  difficulty. 


PLANTING   THE    CHURCH  IX  ASHANTI.        83 

The  carriage  was  placed  upon  two  canoes  fastened 
togetlier,  and  tlins  ferried  across  the  sacred  river 
dividing  Fanti  from  Ashanti.  Soon  they  came  to  the 
Adansi  Hills,  and  here  another  messenger  from  the 
king  presented  himself,  with  fifty  men  to  help  the  party 
over  the  hills  and  on  the  rough  way  to  the  capital. 
AVith  such  a  contingent  the  carriage  was  drawn  up 
the  steep  ascent  witliout  halting.  Seventy  men  were 
pulling  the  ropes  and  pushing  the  vehicle  till  near  the 
snmmit.  For  two  or  three  hundred  yards  tlie  ascent 
scorned  nearly  perpendicular.  At  this  juncture  Free- 
man describes  the  scene  as  "  almost  terrific  :  the 
appearance  of  the  carriage  winding  up  among  the  lofty 
forest-trees,  surrounded  by  from  one  to  two  hundred 
Fantis  and  Ashantis  actually  shouting  for  joy,  as  they 
beheld  the  carriage  steadily  ascending  without  ac- 
cident." His  heart  was  filled  with  thanksgiving  as 
he  saw  so  many  representatives  of  these  two  tribes, 
usually  entertaining  feelings  of  deej^est  hostility,  now 
engaged  in  a  work  calculated  to  produce  a  beautiful 
harmony.  Yet,  in  the  midst  of  all,  he  could  not 
prevent  his  memory  from  recalling  the  distress  and 
anguish  through  which  he  had  passed  six  months 
previously  in  the  burial  of  his  wife  and  his  fellow- 
missionaries. 

At  Fumana  he  found  his  old  lodgings,  but  not 
his  old  friend  Korinchi.  He  had  been  disgraced  and 
removed  to  another  and  inferior  position  by  the  king, 
who  thus  marked  his  displeasure  at  his  turbulent 
conduct  when  at  court.  But  other  old  friends  came  to 
greet  Freeman,  and  large  congregations  gathered  to 
hear  him  and  his  companion  preach,  and  to  salute  the 
princes,  who  were  objects  of  interest  everywhere. 

More  royal  messengers  arrived,  but  now  to  inform 
Freeman  that,  as  the  Adai  "  custom  "  had  begun,  his 
reception  would  have  to  be  postponed  for  several  days. 
He  wished  him  to  salute  his  nephews  "  with  a  kiss  " 
for  him. 

In  the  midst  of  all  the  rough  work,  Freeman  had  an 


84  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

eye  for  the  floral  beauties  and  insect  life  of  the  country, 
and  notes  the  large  and  superb  butterflies  and  moths. 
He  states  :  "  One  of  my  men  caught  a  fine  species  of 
hawk-moth  ;  unfortunately,  the  rich  down  was  so 
much  rubbed  off  from  the  wings  that  I  did  not  see  it 
in  perfection.     Its  principal  colour  was  green." 

The  Ashantis  and  Fantis   of  his  following, — who 
often  passed  the  early  hours  of  the  night  in  dancing 
together  to  the  sound  of  their  rough  music, — some- 
times gave  him  a  little  trouble,  especially  if  he  had 
granted  them  a  longer  rest  than  usual.     One  morning, 
desiring    to    start    early,   the    men   were   not   forth- 
coming.      Freeman   thus  writes   of  the    event :     "  I 
sent  for  them  a  second  time,  but  they  came  not.     I 
then  thought  it  best  to  go  after  them  myself ;   and 
on  entering  their  quarters  I  found  them  all  comfort- 
ably seated,  taking  an  early  breakfast.     This  was  out 
of  all  order,  as  they  were  allowed  plenty  of  time  to 
take  their  meals  whenever  we  rested  during  the  day. 
They  knew  they  were  wrong,  and  took  the  alarm  the 
moment  they  saw  me.     As  I  entered,  they  jumped  up 
and  flew  in  every  direction.     They  had  been  sitting- 
round  a  large  earthen  pot  of  soup,  out  of  which  they 
were   all  feeding  with  their  fingers.     In  their  hurry 
they  broke  the  pot  to  pieces,  spilling  the  contents  on 
the   ground.     The  doors  of  the  native  dwellings  are 
generally  small  ;  and  as  several  of  them  tried  to  rush 
through  at  the  same  time,  they  knocked  down  a  part 
of  the  wall  near  it.     One  of  them  ran  into  a   small 
yard,  where  his  progress  was  retarded  by  a  wall  about 
six  feet  high,  plastered  with  swish  or  clay.     Deter- 
mined not  to  be  foiled  by  the  wall,  though  a  pretty 
strong  one  of  its  kind,  he,  with  astonishing  activity, 
commenced   pulling  a  part  of  it  down,   occasionally 
looking   over  one  of  his   shoulders,  to  see  if  I  was 
coming  after  him  ;  and  in  a  little  time  that  seemed 
almost  incredible,  he  was  at  his  post  with  his  com- 
panions.    I  need  not  say  that  this  fracas  caused  me 
no  small  amusement ;  and  as  these  frail  buildings  are 


PLANTING   THE   CHURCH  IN  AS/IANTI.        85 

SO  easily  repaired,  the  damages  were  not  enough  to 
cause  much  regret." 

Drawing  nearer  to  Coomassie,  Freeman  found  that 
tlie  king  had  had  the  road  cleared  and  rough  bridges 
constructed  across  the  streams,  to  facilitate  his  journey 
with  the  carriage.     He  passed  near  Bekwa,  a  large 
and  important  town,  and  heard  of  a  repetition  of  the 
bloody  scenes  in  connection  with  the  ''  custom,"  with 
which  he  became  only  too  familiar  on  his  former  visit. 
On  the  morning  of  December  13th,  the  thirty-seventh 
day  after  starting   from  the  coast.    Freeman   halted 
at  the  entrance  to  Coomassie,  and  was  soon  surrounded 
by  all  those  tokens  of  barbaric  splendour  which  have 
been  described  in  a  former  chapter  :  gold  swords  and 
ornaments,  and  the  blood-stained  stools,  all  except  the 
death  drum,  being  borne  along  in  the  procession.     The 
princes  were  well  received,  and  the  presents,  especially 
the  carriage,  excited  great  curiosity  and  gave  immense 
satisfaction.     With  some  figured  coloured  muslin  caps 
sent  by  friends  from  Keighley,the  king  was  greatly  de- 
lighted, and  declared  that  his  captains  should  wear  them. 
A  few  days  after,  according  to  native  eti(iuette,  came 
])resents  from  the  king  in  return,  consisting  of  cattle, 
vegetables   and  fruits,   with  gold    dust  to  the  value 
of  hfty-six  pounds.     Messrs.  Freeman  and  Brooking's 
share  amounted  to  twenty-seven  pounds,  which  was 
at  once  j)assed  to  the  credit  of  the  mission.      The 
missionaries    then    proceeded    to    one    of    the    most 
elevated   parts  of  the  town,  whei-e  the   king   seated 
himself  to   drink  palm-wine  and  return   thanks    for 
the  royal  gifts.     Freeman's    description  of  the  king 
drinking  wine  will  be  found  of  interest. 

'•  Shortly  afterwards  his  servants  arrived  with  palm- 
wine  and  a  large  calabash,  partly  overlaid  with  g(jld, 
fur  him  to  drink  out  of,  and  a  large  silver  bowl  to 
hold  under  the  calabash,  to  receive  the  palm-wine 
which  might  run  down  His  Majesty's  beard.  While 
he  was  drinking  the  large  drums  were  played,  and 
several  arrows  were  shot  from  the  bow,  to  let  the  people 


86  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

know  that  Lie  was  still  holding  the  calabash  to  his 
mouth.  He  then  sent  us  a  sup2)ly  of  the  wine,  after 
which  he  returned  to  his  residence." 

In  subsequent  interviews  Freeman  acquainted  the 
king  with  the  motives  which  actuated  the  British 
Government  in  securing  the  princes,  his  nephews,  a 
liberal  education  in  England.  It  was  desired  to  show 
him  what  Christian  civilisation  might  do  for  his 
country.  On  the  subject  of  slavery  Freeman  told  him 
of  the  antipathy  which  Great  Britain  felt  to  it,  and  the 
great  sacrifice  which  she  had  made  to  emancipate  the 
slaves  of  the  West  Indies.  The  whole  party,  including 
the  young  princes,  entered  into  a  spirited  conversation 
with  the  king  on  the  wonders  of  civilisation,  the  arts 
and  sciences  as  seen  in  Great  Britain.  Freeman  took 
the  opportunity  of  informing  the  king  that  their 
special  object  as  missionaries  was  the  introduction  of 
Christianity  into  his  dominions.  The  king  promised 
them  his  j^rotection,  and  presented  them  with  land  on 
which  to  build  a  mission-house. 

Freeman  and  his  friends  kept  their  Christmas-day  in 
Coomassie,  making  it  as  nearly  like  an  English  Christ- 
mas as  they  could.  Twelve  of  them  dined  together 
off  roast  beef  and  j^lum-pudding,  under  a  shed  which 
they  had  decorated  with  green  boughs  and  flowers 
from  the  forest. 

Divine  service  was  held,  and  the  meaning  of  Christ- 
mas was  explained  to  the  king.  He  sent  presents  of 
fat  sheep  to  the  missionaries.  This  probably  was  the 
first  Christmas-day  that  the  gospel  was  preached  in 
Coomassie.  Freeman  makes  the  folloAving  entry  in 
his  journal  that  day: — "After  dinner  we  sang  some 
hymns,  and  then  went  out  for  a  walk.  On  our  way 
home  I  saw  the  corpse  of  a  young  slave,  about  twelve 
years  of  age,  slung  to  a  pole  and  carried  by  two  men. 
This  led  to  the  disclosure  of  the  fact  .  .  .  that  all 
slaves,  except  a  few  favoured  ones,  are  considered  not 
worth  the  trouble  of  decent  burial  .  .  .  but  are  thrown 
into  the  water  which  runs  round  the  town  ...  as  food 


PLANTING    THE   CHURCH  IN  ASHANTI. 


87 


for  tlie  thousands  of  fishes,"  which  may  be  liere  men- 
tion are  sacredly  preserved.  These  fishes  are  very 
tame,  and    Freeman    witnessed,  what  he    had  heard 


COOMASSIE. 


stated  with  some  incredulity,  some  of  them  move 
several  inches  out  of  the  water  to  obtain  crumbs 
and  then  return  to  their  native  element. 


88  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

To  iill  appearance  perfect  freedom  was  given  to  the 
people  to  attend  the  teaching  and  preaching  of  the 
missionaries,  and  in  other  ways  the  king  took  pains 
to  show  that  he  regarded  his  visitors  with  favour. 
Hitherto  they  had  dwelt  in  a  damp  house  in  a  low 
part  of  the  town  ;  but  on  it  being  represented  that  their 
health  was  suffering,  he  took  care  to  have  them 
removed  to  a  healthier  spot  and  into  a  better  house. 
Perhaps  the  greatest  mark  of  favour  was  the  invita- 
tion to  dine  with  His  Majesty  on  December  28th. 
Freeman  gives  particulars  of  this  wonderful  repast, 
covering  several  pages  of  his  journal.  The  king 
arrayed  himself  in  gorgeous  European  attire  of  very 
ancient  make,  and  as  nearly  as  possible  adopted  English 
customs,  and  had  a  native  band  to  discourse  music 
which  perhaps  would  scarcely  be  considered  '^ sweet" 
by  the  visitors  ;  but  Freeman  was  surprised  that  they 
managed  to  render  a  few  English  airs  so  correctly. 
Surrounded  by  his  royal  relatives  and  high  officers 
of  state,  the  king  partook  of  the  English  dishes, 
tasting  them  and  passing  them  on  to  his  officers.  Then 
followed  toasts  and  dessert,  and  a  visit  to  the  stone 
house  built  by  Osai  Tutu  Kwamina,  which  ai)pears 
to  have  been  a  store  of  curiosities  from  various  parts 
of  the  world,  royal  presents  to  Kwaku  Duah  and  his 
kingly  predecessors.  Best  of  all,  the  king  expressed 
his  entire  satisfaction  with  Freeman  and  his  proposed 
mission. 

AVe  cannot  refrain  from  quoting  the  closing  entry  in 
his  journal  for  the  year  1^41.  "The  last  day  of  an 
eventful  year,  during  which  1  have  enjoyed  greater 
happiness,  and  have  had  greater  trials,  than  at  any 
foimer  period  of  my  chequered  life.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  year  I  was  in  possession  of  one  of 
the  most  amiable  and  best  of  wives.  At  the  end  of 
the  year  I  mourn  her  early  death,  and  am  left  a 
widower  in  a  foreign  land.  How  powerfully  does 
she,  being  dead,  yet  speak,  reminding  me  to  be  '  also 
ready  '  to  meet  my  Judge  !     Amidst  all  these  poignant 


PLANTING    THE   CHURCH  IN  ASHANTI.        89 

sufferings, — tlie  loss  of  my  wife,  and  that  of  some  of 

my  brethren  who  liad  hiLoured  with  me  in  the  same 

iiekl, — I  rejoice  tliat  I  can  say,  '  Bk^ss  the  Lord,  0 

my  soul,  and  all  that  is  witliin  me  bless   His  Holy 

Name.     Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all 

His  benefits.'" 

On   the   first  Sunday   of  the  year    1842   Freeman 

])reached    twice    to    interested     congregations,     Mr. 

15rookin<r  beino-  unwell.     In   the    evenin"'   the   little 

.   ^  .  .     '^     .  .         . 

mission  family,  including  the  two  princes,  joined  in 

a  solemn  covenant  service  of  consecration  to  God, 
and  partaking  together  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Su])])er. 

Tlie  following  day  the  king  conferred  upon  Freeman 
and  Brooking,  in  company  with  the  two  princes, 
uni(|ue  honour.  They  were  invited  to  a  semi-private 
rece})tion.  The  king,  and  his  wives,  whom  no  man 
is  })ermitted  to  meet  or  look  upon,  wei'e  assembled  in 
one  of  the  palaces.  His  Majesty  explained  that  he 
was  desirous  of  thus  showing  his  gratitude  to  the 
English  peojde  for  their  kindness  and  care  of  the 
j)rinces  and  himself.  The  band  played,  and  several 
young  women,  beautifully  attired,  danced  gracefully 
before  the  com})any,  all  beliaving  with  the  greatest 
decorum.  ^Vhen  they  ceased  the  king  descended  from 
his  stool  and  danced,  explaining  to  Freeman  that  it 
was  not  usual  for  the  king  to  dance  before  his  wives 
in  tlie  presence  of  any  one,  but  he  did  so  before  him 
in  lionour  of  the  Queen  of  England.  Tlie  queen- 
mother  followed,  dancing  and  ])roclaiming  the  ''  strong 
names"  of  tlie  king  and  his  ancestors.  This  kind  of 
exercise  continued  until  all  must  liave  grown  very 
excited.  Then,  in  honour  of  Freeman,  the  women 
sang  an  im})roviscd  song,  which  has  thus  been  rendered 
into  English : — 

"  The  iMiglivslimau  lives  in  Selni  Scki, 
To-day  lie  has  come  to  visit  the  King, 
The  King  lias  danced  before  him 
In  the  presence  of  his  wives, 


90  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

And  done  what  he  has  never  done  to 
A  European  before.  He  has  walked 
Up  and  shaken  hands  with  him."' 

The  king  was  now  on  the  most  intimate  terms  with 
the  missionary  party,  and  placed  great  confidence  in 
Freeman.  The  day  after  the  reception  the  king  sent 
in  haste  asking  Freeman  to  send  medicine  to  a  female 
member  of  the  royal  family  living  at  Juabin,  a  town 
of  some  importance  about  twenty-one  miles  north- 
east of  Coomassie.  Freeman  explained  that  he  conld 
not  undertake  to  send  medicine  unless  he  knew  the 
ailment  from  which  the  lady  was  suffering,  and  as  she 
was  too  ill  to  come  to  Coomassie  he  offered  to  go  to 
Juabin  and  prescribe  for  her.  Leaving  one  morning 
about  ten  o'clock,  he  reached  Juabin  about  seven,  an 
liour  after  sunset,  and  at  once  made  his  way  to  the 
liouse  of  his  royal  patient  Seiwa,  the  queen  of  Juabin. 
He  was  kindly  received  and  welcomed  to  her  town,  and 
on  his  return  to  the  lodgings  allotted  to  him,  she  sent 
an  acceptable  present  of  food.  Freeman  then  collected 
his  little  family  about  him,  and,  as  he  states,  "  a 
strange  and  extraordinary  thing  took  place  in  Juabin  : 
an  altar  was  for  the  first  time  erected  to  the  Lord 
God  of  hosts,  and  the  whole  of  that  beautiful  hymn, 

'  Jesus,  the  name  high  over  all/ 

ascended  to  heaven  from  grateful  hearts." 

He  found  the  queen  suffering  from  a  nervous 
affection  which  had  deprived  her  of  the  use  of  her 
left  arm,  the  large  muscle  being  constantly  agitated, 
accompanied  with  great  pain.  She  ascribed  it  to 
poison,  the  usual  African  explanation  of  a  malady, 
and  believed  that  the  movement  was  caused  by  a 
worm.  He  found  the  lady  somewhat  intractable,  but 
gave  her  medicines  which  relieved  her.  On  his  return 
to  Coomassie  he  treated  a  chief  for  bilious  fever,  and 
gained  the  reputation  of  having  saved  his  life.  These 
matters  added  largely  to  his  influence. 

Freeman  describes  the  revoltino,-  barbarities  in  con- 


PLANTING    THE   CHURCH  IN  ASIIANTI.        yi 

nection  with  the  executions  which  he  witQCSscd.  To 
prevent  the  victim  from  using  a  solemn  oath  which 
all  regard  as  binding,  the  poor  wretch  has  his  cheeks 
l)iercecl  with  knives  previous  to  deca])itation.  A  slave 
once  swore  by  the  king's  head  that  the  king  must 
kill  him  that  day  ;  all  feared  to  go  near  him,  lest  he 
should  also  add  that  the  king  should  also  slay  his 
nephew.*  Therefore  the  precaution  of  piercing  the 
cheeks  described  by  all  visitors  to  Coomassie.  The 
executioner,  whom  Freeman  saw  behead  two  poor 
victims  most  adroitly,  was  a  lad  about  eighteen  years 
of  age,  and  told  Freeman  a  few  weeks  before  that  he 
had  then  executed  as  many  as  eighty  victims. 

Another  excitement  awaited  the  missionaries. 
Whilst  they  were  conversing  with  the  Apoko  concern- 
ing the  establishment  of  a  mission  school,  they  heard 
the  alarm  of  fire.  The  tall  grass  at  the  rear  of  the  town, 
behind  the  house  in  which  the  missionary  party  lodged, 
was  on  fire,  and  the  flames  were  approaching  with  great 
rapidity.  Freeman  took  the  precaution  quickly  to  cut 
down  the  grass  near  his  quarters,  and  by  a  providential 
change  of  wind  the  danger  was  averted  as  far  as  the 
mission  party  was  concerned.  Other  portions  of  the 
town  were  soon  ablaze,  and  the  king's  quarters  were  in 
danger.  Freeman  with  his  friends  exerted  themselves 
to  stay  the  flames  and  preserve  the  royal  buildings, 
but  the  fire  consumed  a  large  number  of  houses,  and 
many  people  lost  their  lives.  Freeman  again  received 
the  thanks  of  the  king  for  his  disinterested  exertions. 

A  nephew  of  the  king  met  Freeman  when  walking 
near  the  royal  residence,  and  said,  "  We  are  very 
sorry  you  are  going  to  leave  us  soon.  When  you 
came  to  Coomassie  before,  we  were  afraid  of  you  ;  but 

*  The  binding  nature  of  a  solemn  oath,  like  the  vow  of 
Jephthah,  according  to  their  code  of  morals,  must  be  recognised 
at  all  costs.  Human  sacrifice  is  based  upon  the  religious  senti- 
ment. The  victim  is  a  solemn  offering  to  their  deity,  and  any 
oath  of  his,  especially  when  first  preparing  for  the  fearful 
ordeal,  comes  with  peculiar  force  to  their  superstitious  minds. 
To  swear  by  the  king's  head  is  the  most  solemn  of  oaths. 


92 


THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN, 


we  liave  no  fear  now,  and  are  glad  to  see  yon  here." 
Later  the  same  individual  said,  referring  to  the 
2)rovidential  saving  of  the  premises  of  the  mission 
when  the  fire  raged,  "  God  preserved  you  Christians 
from  the  fire." 

On  January  31st,  having  gone  through  the  usual 
ceremony  of  taking  leave  of  the  king  and  high  officers 
of  state,  Freeman  turned  his  Lack  upon  Coomassie, 
leaving  Mr.  Brooking  in  charge,  with  good  ^jrosj^ects 
of  building  up  a  spiritual  Church  in  this  blood-stained 
city. 

As  he  ai)proached  the  coast  he  was  gladdened  with 
the  news  of  the  arrival  of  a  further  contingent  of 
missionaries  from  England,  Messrs.  Allen,  Rowland 
and  Wyatt,  and  very  soon  he  took  ste])s  to  appoint 
these  brethren  to  different  stations.  We  find  him 
now  at  Dixcove,  settling  Mr.  Watson  ;  then  on  the 
way  to  the  Prah,  to  accompany  Mr.  Rowland  on  the 
journey  to  Coomassie.  Again  he  is  settling  Mr.  Allen 
at  Domonasi,  and  then  encouraging  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Shipman  at  Accra,  who  had  started  an  unpretentious 
theological  institution  ;  but  the  end  of  the  year  1842 
finds  him  attempting  another  large  enterprise,  the 
description  of  which  we  must  reserve  for  another 
chai)ter. 


MARKET    WOMEN,   ABEOKUT. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


IN   THE    EGBA   METROPOLIS. 


MANY  of  the  slave-sliips  wliicli  had  been  captured 
by  our  gnu  boats  on  the  West  African  coast  were 
towed  into  Sierra  Leone,  and  their  human  freight  dis- 
charged and  cared  for  under  the  shadow  of  the  Britisli 
flag.  A  motley  population  was  thus  collected,  speaking 
a  hundred  different  tongues.  Amongst  these  were  a 
large  number  of  the  Yoruba  race,  known  in  Sierra 
Leone  as  Akus,  from  tlieir  frequent  use  of  this  word, 
which  is  their  most  common  salutation.  The  members 
of  this  tribe  are  well  known  in  West  Africa  for  their 
marvellous  trading  propensities. 

In  the  year  1838  a  half-caste  trader  in  Sierra  Leone 
purcliased  a  ship  and  sailed  down  the  coast  on  a 
trading  expedition.  Many  of  the  Akus  joined  him. 
In  tlie  course  of  their  voyage  they  reached  a  large 
trading  town  in  the  Bight  of  Benin,  which  they  were 
told  was    Lagos,  but  which  they  recognised   as   the 

93 


94  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

great  slave  depot  Eko,  and  they  knew  they  were  on 
the  borders  of  their  own  country. 

On  landing  they  gathered  some  little  information 
as  to  the  condition  of  their  fatherland  and  kindred, 
which  induced  them  to  ascend  the  river  Ognn  in 
native  canoes  till  they  reached  its  navigable  limits, 
and  there  found  the  object  of  their  search,  the  now 
well-known  but  then  recently  formed  town  of  Abeokuta. 
Here  they  were  welcomed  by  relatives  from  whom 
they  had  been  sundered  for  long  j^ears,  and  to  them 
they  told  the  story  of  the  wonders  they  had  seen  in 
the  white  man's  country.  Sierra  Leone,  and  astonished 
them  by  recounting  the  story  of  the  efforts  made  to 
secure  their  liberty  and  education.  Descending  the 
river,  they  reached  Lagos  again,  and  returned  to  Sierra 
Leone,  rejDorting  to  their  kindred  there  what  they 
had  seen,  and  bringing  loving  messages  from  rela- 
tives to  many  from  this  great  Egba  city  of  Abeokuta. 
This  led  to  other  similar  expeditions  ;  the  freed  slaves 
buying  with  their  hard-earned  money  some  of  the 
old  slave-ships  and  making  an  exodus  to  their  native 
land. 

The  slave-dealers  of  Lagos  soon  became  sus2:)icious 
that  this  wonderful  movement  boded  no  good  for  their 
vile  business  ;  and  not  only  served  some  of  these 
civilised  natives  cruelly,  but  blocked  their  way  back 
to  Abeokuta  by  Lagos.  Thus  the  pilgrims  sought  and 
found  another  port  of  landing  at  Badagry,  some  forty 
miles  to  the  east  of  Lagos — a  town  protected  by  the 
Egbas,  who  kept  an  open  road  to  the  coast  this  way. 

Some  of  the  liberated  African  Christians  who  had 
returned  to  Abeokuta  sent  an  urgent  request  to  the 
Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  for  the  appointment  of 
a  Christian  teacher.  One  letter  to  the  missionary  at 
Sierra  Leone  was  couched  in  impassioned  terms.  ''For 
Christ's  sake  come  quickly.  Let  nothing  but  sickness 
prevent  you.  Do  not  stoji  to  change  your  clothes,  to 
eat  or  drink  or  sleep,  and  salute  no  man  by  the  way. 
Do,  for  God's  sake,  start  this  moment." 


TYPES  OF  NATIVES,   ABEOKUTA. 


96  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

To  onr  missionary,  Freeman,  fell  the  conge oial  duty 
of  Leaving  the  response  of  the  Wesleyan  Missionary 
Society  to  these  urgent  appeals.  On  Saturday,  Sep- 
tember 24th,  1842,  we  find  him  landing  through  the 
dangerous  surf  from  the  ship  which  had  brought  him 
from  Cape  Coast. 

His  former  native  companion,  William  De  Graft, 
with  his  wife,  had  accompanied  him  ;  and  he  had 
brought  some  materials  for  constructing  a  house,  and 
a  number  of  native  workmen,  who  were  soon  hard  at 
work  under  Freeman's  supervision. 

Eunning  along  this  coast,  stretching  almost  con- 
tinuously from  the  river  Niger  to  the  Yolta,  is  an 
interior  waterway  parallel  with  the  coast  line,  into 
which  there  flow  the  waters  of  numerous  rivers. 
This  network  of  lagoons  has  proved  the  natural  high- 
way for  the  nefarious  slave  traffic,  and  more  recently 
for  legitimate  commerce.  The  strip  of  land  separating 
tlie  lagoon  from  the  surf-beaten  coast  varies  from  a 
few  hundred  yards  to  four  or  five  miles,  whilst  here 
and  there  the  bulk  of  water  has  made  for  itself  a 
breach  opening  into  the  sea. 

When  Freeman  landed  he  found  he  had  about  a 
mile  to  walk  across  the  strip  of  land  to  the  edge  of 
the  lagoon,  on  the  other  bank  of  which  is  situated  the 
town  of  Badagry.  The  lagoon  here  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  good  broad  river,  with  the  current  setting 
towards  Lagos.  This  crossed.  Freeman  expressed  his 
tliankfulness  to  be  once  more  on  shore,  after  his  un- 
comfortable voyage  of  five  days  from  Cape  Coast. 

Lander  found  Badagry  one  of  the  vilest  places 
imaginable,  human  sacrifices  being  an  almost  daily 
occurrence,  with  a  huge  fetish  tree,  from  the  branches 
of  which  were  suspended  various  portions  of  human 
bodies,  whilst  human  skulls  were  scattered  on  the 
ground  underneath  its  shadow.  Our  missionary  found 
it  little  bettor.  The  people  at  that  time  were  addicted 
to  the  most  revolting  and  abominable  practices. 

A  few  visits  of  inspection  to  the  forest  and  along 


IN  THE  EGBA   METROPOLIS. 


97 


tlie  lagoon  convinced  Freeman  that  lie  could  find 
such  timber  as  he  needed  for  building  purposes,  and 
by  December  3rd  he  had  completed  the  shell  of  a 
liouse  and  covered  it  with  a  good  thatch  roof.  It 
was  a  large  air}^  dwelling,  suitable  for  a  European 
family,  raised  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  from  the  ground 
on  twenty-two  stout  cocoanut  pillars  averaging  about 
three-quarters  of  a  ton  each  in  weight. 

Already  he  had  received  communications  from 
Abeokuta,  and  urgent  requests  to  hasten  tliither  ;  and 
now  that  he  had  so  far  completed  the  work  of  building 


NATIVE    CHRISTIANS   AT    ABEOKUTA. 


the  mission-house,  he  felt  free  to  start  for  the  interior. 
The  great  Egba  chief  Shodeke  had  sent  fourteen  men 
to  escort  him,  and  previously  had  forwarded  a  present 
of  a  native  pony  with  trappings  complete. 

On  December  5th,  Mr.  Freeman,  accompanied  by 
De  Graft  and  his  wife,  started  for  the  town  of  Abeokuta, 
about  seventy  miles  north-east  from  Badagry.  Early 
in  the  afternoon  they  reached  the  Egba  encampment, 
which  had  been  pitched  close  to  Adu,  to  keep  in 
clieck  the  people  of  that  ])lace,  who  were  given  to 
plunder  and  kidnapping.  Here  he  was  courteously 
received  by  Shamoye,  the  brother  of  Shodeke,  who 

7 


98  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

held  the  position  of  General,  and  at  his  urgent  request 
spent  a  day  in  his  company. 

The  country  through  which  he  passed  was  some- 
what different  in  its  nature  from  that  of  the  Gold 
Coast.  He  noted  the  extensive  farms  and  fine  planta- 
tions, the  very  rough  forest  paths  and  the  well-sup- 
plied native  markets — all  indicative  of  the  industrious 
character  of  the  j^eople.  On  December  10th  he  had 
reached  Owayadi,  a  village  on  the  summit  of  a  hill,  not 
far  from  which  may  be  seen  on  a  clear  day  the  great 
town  of  Abeokuta.  The  general  aspect  of  the  country 
now  indicated  that  the  missionary  was  approaching  the 
African  metropolis.  Some  Sierra  Leone  emigrants  came 
out  to  meet  him,  accosting  him  in  his  own  language, 
whilst  numerous  native  salutations  were  offered.  As  it 
was  too  late  to  enter  the  town  that  day.  Freeman 
rested  at  the  little  farm  village  of  Ok  warn,  sending 
a  messenger  to  inform  the  chief  of  his  approach,  and 
requesting  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  enter  at 
once,  as  the  morrow  was  the  Sabbath  ;  but  as  the  night 
gathered  this  became  impossible. 

At  six  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning  a  mounted  escort 
arrived  to  conduct  the  missionary  and  his  party  into 
the  town.  He  crossed  the  river  Ogun,  which  here 
flows  in  a  south-westerly  direction,  and  is  about 
seventy  yards  wide,  to  the  landing-place,  Aro.  Then 
for  a  few  miles  over  the  grassy  plain  to  one  of  the 
gates  of  this  great  walled  town.  As  he  passed  through 
the  streets  a  perfect  chorus  of  native  salutations  greeted 
him.  *'  Welcome  !  ivelcome  !  white  man  I "  "  Blessing  I 
Long  life  to  you,  white  man  !  "  The  crowd  increased  as 
he  proceeded,  and  the  salutations  grew  louder,  till  he 
was  brought  into  the  compound  of  the  great  chief, 
who  held  the  supreme  position  in  the  plutocratic 
government  of  this  native  state. 

Shodeke  was  a  superior  man,  who  had  shown  great 
skill  in  guiding  the  counsels  in  the  government  of 
Abeokuta,  and  by  his  righteous  dealing  had  won  for 
himself  the  esteem  and  affection  of  the  people.     In 


IN   THE   RGB  A    METROPOLIS.  99 

their  admiration  they  ascribed  to  him  prophetic  powers, 
and  some  of  his  statements  are  still  recalled,  as  the 
predictions  of  an  old  seer.  His  mind  had  been  greatly 
exercised  in  relation  to  religion,  for  tlie  incnrsion  oi 
the  Mohammedans  into  the  nortli  of  Yornba  and  the 
ju'eaching  of  their  priests  had  prodnced  an  element 
of  doubt  in  the  minds  of  the  most  thoughtfnl  con- 
cerning  their  idolatry.  Already  Mohammedanism 
was  j)owerfnlly  represented  in  the  town,  and  the 
priests  had  been  welcomed  by  Shodeke,  and  encouraged 
to  display  their  proofs  of  the  truth  of  their  religion. 
The  native  priests  also  were  desirous  of  maintaining 
their  supremacy.  On  the  spot  where  the  controversy 
occurred,  the  author  has  heard  from  the  lips  of  the 
older  race  of  Christians  how  this  contention  waxed 
warm,  and  how  each  side  strove  to  produce  its  ''  strong 
I'easons."  At  this  juncture  the  Christian  missionary 
arrived,  and  was  welcomed  by  the  great  chief.  Shodeke 
was  not  long  before  he  received  fresh  light  on  the 
great  question  which  had  exercised  his  mind,  and  was 
so  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  Christian 
religion  brought  by  the  stranger  that  he  dismissed 
the  angry  contending  priests,  and  announced  his 
determination  to  accept  "  the  white  man's  religion." 

The  foiled  priests  vowed  vengeance,  and,  not  long 
after,  carried  their  threat  into  execution  by  craftily 
poisoning  Shodeke.  As  the  enlightened  old  ruler  lay 
dying,  he  turned  with  words  of  sorrowful  rebuke  upon 
the  priests,  and  said,  "  You  have  succeeded  in  poisoning, 
me,  but  you  will  never  get  another  Shodeke  !  "  In 
the  chequered  history  which  has  since  followed  the 
peojjle  remember  these  fateful  words.  To-day,  as  the 
old  peojDle  recall  those  times,  with  the  halo  of  romance 
which  they  have  placed  in  their  imagination  about 
the  brow  of  their  old  chief,  they  say,  "  On  the  day 
that  Shodeke  died  the  sun  forgot  to  shine  and  the 
birds  to  sing." 

The  romantic  story  of  the  founding   of  the  great 
town  of  Abeokuta   has   been  so  often   told  tliat  tlie 


TOO  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

slightest  sketch  is  all  that  is  needful  here.  The 
Mohammedan  Fellani  had  crossed  the  Niger,  and  at 
last  threw  off  the  guise  of  friendship  which  had  led 
to  an  alliance  between  them  and  the  chief  of  Yoruba, 
seizing  large  portions  of  the  country  and  asserting 
their  authority.  In  their  true  character  of  cruel, 
greedy  self-seekers,  they  depopulated  and  destroyed 
large  towns,  and  thus  carried  on  the  profitable  but 
wicked  slave-trade.  The  king  was  driven  from  his 
capital,  one  hundred  and  thirty  towns  and  villages 
were  destroyed  and  the  people  seized  as  slaves.  The 
remnant  kept  in  hiding  for  a  time,  and  then  formed 
the  community  in  which  we  are  now  interested. 

In  the  south-west  of  this  great  Yoruba  country,  and 
on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river  Ogun,  in  the  midst 
of  undulating  ground  covered  with  tropical  verdure, 
there  rises  a  huge  hill  of  rough  granite,  the  shelving 
sides  of  which  form  a  cave  of  large  proportions,  which 
in  ancient  days  was  a  hiding-place  for  robbers.  To 
this  rocky  retreat  the  refugees  fled,  about  the  year 
1825,  in  such  numbers  that  soon  they  were  able  to 
occupy  the  fruitful  valleys  and  build  a  wall  to  enclose 
their  new  resting-place. 

The  great  granite  rock  which  had  sheltered  them 
in  the  day  of  their  distress  they  called  "  Oluma " 
("  The  Builder"),  The  inhabitants  sacrifice  their  sheep 
and  fowls  to  it  to-day,  regarding  it  as  one  of  their 
greatest  '•^  orishas,''  or  idols.  They  named  the  town 
"Abeokuta"  ('' Understone "),  from  the  interesting 
fact  of  its  origin  as  described.  Its  fame  soon  spread, 
and  to  it  there  gathered  the  remnants  of  the  clans. 
To-day  it  is  estimated  that  its  great  clay  wall  and 
trench,  some  fifteen  miles  round,  enclose  a  population 
that  cannot  be  less  than  one  hundred  thousand. 

The  enemies  of  the  people  were  soon  alarmed  at  its 
strength,  and  determined  upon  its  destruction ;  then 
it  was  that  the  inhabitants  placed  themselves  under 
the  leadership  of  the  brave  man  Shodeke,  as  their  first 
ruler,  who,  by  his  prudence  and  courage,  extended  the 


IN  THE  EGBA   METROPOLIS. 


lOl 


fame  of  the  town  and  kept  open  the  jjatli  to  the  sea- 
board for  k^gitimate  trade. 

This  is  the  man  to  whom  Freeman  was  introdnced. 
He  found  him  "  seated  on  the  floor,  on  a  large  native 
mat,  supporting  himself  against  a  beautifnl  leather- 
covered  cushion  of  native  manufacture.     He  wore   a 


UOCK    OF    OLUMA. 


liandsome  damask  cloth,  thrown  lightly  over  his 
shoulder,  and  a  scarlet  cloth  cap  with  a  blue  tassel  on 
the  crown  of  it.  Before  him  stood  a  large  glass  bowl 
of  European  manufiicture,  well  supplied  with  kola- 
nuts."  This  large  astringent  seed,  which  contains 
many  valuable  properties,  is  used  extensively  by  the 
interior   tribes,  and   serves   as   a   good   corrective   to 


I02  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

the  laxative  native  food.  It  is  also  used  to  stave  off 
hanger-pangs,  in  visits  of  ceremony,  in  declaring  war 
and  the  expression  of  friendship,  the  presentation  of 
certain  numbers  having  a  symbolic  significance.  After 
brief  ordinary  greetings.  Freeman  was  permitted  to 
retire  to  the  quarters  allotted  to  him. 

There  were  present  a  number  of  Christian  emigrants 
from  Sierra  Leone.  "  I  shall  never  forget,"  Freeman 
writes,  "  the  joy  which  beamed  in  their  countenances 
as  they  seized  me  by  the  hand  and  bade  me  welcome. 
^  Ah  ! '  said  they,  ^  we  told  our  king  that  the  English 
people  loved  us,  and  that  missionaries  would  be  sure 
to  follow  us  ;  but  he  could  hardly  believe  that  any  one 
would  come  so  far  to  do  us  good.  Now  what  we  told 
our  king  has  come  to  pass  !  0  Master !  you  are 
welcome,  welcome,  welcome  ! ' 

"  Shodeke  seemed  quite  overjoyed,  and,  as  we  were 
walking  across  the  conrt-yard,  he  clasped  me  in  his 
arms  before  all  the  people,  and  thus  testified  his 
extreme  satisfaction.  Shortly  afterwards  he  came  to 
our  apartments  and  talked  ...  in  a  free  and  familiar 
manner.  '  My  people,'  said  he,  '  told  me  they  were 
sure  their  friends  in  England  would  not  neglect 
them  ;  but  I  feared  you  would  not  venture  to  come 
so  far.  Now  I  see  you,  and  my  heart  rejoices  ;  and 
as  you  have  now  come  to  visit  us,  I  hope  the  English 
will  never  leave  us.'  My  feelings  were  of  the  most 
intense  character.  I  saw  in  Shodeke's  open  and 
manly  countenance  something  which  gave  the  seal  of 
truth  to  all  he  said.  His  remarks  were  not  vain, 
empty  compliments.  I  believe  they  came  from  his 
heart,  and  were  sj)oken  in  sincerity  and  truth." 

In  the  afternoon  of  this  first  Sabbath  in  Abeokuta 
the  missionary  conducted  a  service  in  the  court-yard 
of  the  chief,  expounding  the  Scriptures  and  holding 
a  prayer-meeting.  Shodeke  seated  himself  beside 
Freeman,  and  for  his  benefit  all  that  was  said  was 
interpreted  into  the  Yoruba  language.  Thus  began 
most  aus2jiciously  the  work  of  the  AVesleyan  Missions 


IN   THE  EGBA   METROPOLIS,  103 

ill  Abeoknta,  wliicli  lias  continued  with  more  or  less 
snccess  to  this  day. 

This  first  Christian  missionary  to  Abeoknta  caused 
considerable  excitement.  Wheresoever  he  walked 
abroad  scores  of  the  jjeople  gathered  about  him,  follow- 
ing him  in  the  streets  and  greeting  him  with  strange 
salutations.  Oni  Oku  Ojjimbo !  Okie  Abo  Oyimbo ! 
"  Long  life  to  you,  white  man  !  A  blessing  on  you, 
white  man,  in  your  coming,"  with  other  phrases  of 
native  welcome,  were  heard  from  the  people,  who  were 
delighted  at  the  missionary's  presence  in  their  town. 

He  noted  that  the  irregular  streets  contrasted  un- 
fjivourably  with  the  uniform  and  regular  thoroughfares 
of  Coomassie,  but  he  also  observed  that  the  town  was 
([uite  twice  as  large,  and  estimated  the  population  at 
fifty  thousand,  which  must  have  been  under  rather 
than  over  the  mark.  He  also  found  that  there  were 
a  large  number  of  Haussa  settlers  there,  some  of  whom 
came  to  greet  him  ;  and  learning  that  their  country  was 
only  seven  days'  journey  on  horseback,  he  evidently 
longed  to  carry  forward  the  Cross  of  Christ  into  that 
Mohammedan  state,  and  cherished  the  thought  that 
lie  might  at  a  future  time  be  able  to  accomplish 
this. 

Freeman's  visit  extended  to  ten  days,  when  Shodeke 
very  reluctantly  permitted  him  to  depart  for  Badagry, 
where  other  enterprises  were  awaiting  him.  The  chief 
accompanied  Freeman  to  the  outskirts  of  the  town, 
the  people  crowding  into  the  streets  to  bid  farewell 
to  the  missionary.  "  Good-bye,"  said  many  of  them 
as  they  waved  their  hands  :  "  come  again  soon  !  come 
again  soon  ! "  '^  Shodeke  parted  with  us  with  con- 
siderable emotion,  and  was,  I  think,"  adds  Freeman, 
^'  sorry  that  we  had  left  him." 

Freeman  pushed  on  rapidly  to  the  coast,  with  no 
extraordinary  incident  to  record.  He  noted  a  very 
usunl  incident  of  African  travel,  but  perhaps  of  some 
interest  to  the  English  reader,  that,  on  rising  early 
to  finish   the  journey,  the  dew  saturated  him  as  he 


I04  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

travelled  tlirougli  the  long  grass,  and  when  he  had 
gone  for  several  hours  and  felt  hungry  he  could  not 
obtain  his  breakfast,  because  his  carriers  were  left 
far  in  the  rear.  His  upper  clothing  saturated  with 
perspiration  and  his  lower  extremities  cold  with  the 
dew,  he  became  somewhat  concerned.  So  hungry 
was  he  that  he  was  glad  to  purchase  a  pot  of  native 
soup,  '''  made  with  pork  and  palm-oil.  A  mussel-shell 
supplied  the  place  of  a  spoon,  and  though  I  could 
scarcely  fancy  taking  palm-oil  in  such  a  wholesale 
manner,  I  found  the  soup  to  have  a  refreshing  and 
invigorating  effect." 

The  people  of  Badagry  were  pleased  but  surprised 
to  see  him  return.  On  remarking  this,  one  of  his 
attendants  told  him  that  the  chief  had  informed  them 
that  he  would  be  killed  if  he  attempted  a  journey 
to  the  interior  ;  and  one  night,  before  Freeman  started 
for  Abeokuta,  Wawa  came  to  this  servant  and  said, 
"It  is  not  good  for  your  master  to  go  into  the 
interior  :  the  people  are  not  to  be  trusted  ;  perhaps 
they  will  kill  him.  Try  and  persuade  him  not  to  go." 
The  servant  replied,  "  My  master  does  not  care  for 
that  ;  his  work  just  now  is  in  the  interior,  and  he  will 
therefore  go.  If  he  live,  it  will  be  well ;  if  he  die, 
it  will  be  well  :  he  does  not  care  ;  he  has  a  good 
home  to  go  to  when  he  dies."  No  harm  came  to  him, 
except  that  for  a  few  days  he  was  ill  with  fatigue  ; 
but  as  soon  as  he  recovered  he  was  again  on  the 
move. 

Badagry,  with  its  mission-house,  became  an  im- 
portant station,  the  first  agent  in  charge  of  which 
was  De  Graft,  whom  Mr.  Freeman  left  behind.  Its 
subsequent  history  is  full  of  interest. 

Christmas  Day  was  spent  with  Mr.  Towns  end,  who 
had  just  arrived,  bound  for  Abeokuta  in  the  interests 
of  the  Church  Missionary  Society.  On  the  day  Mr. 
Freeman  left  for  tlie  ship  Mr.  Townsend  started  for 
the  interior. 

On  December  29th  the  chief  Wawa,  with  some  of 


IN  THE  EGBA   METROPOLIS. 


105 


Shodeke's  men  who  had  escorted  Freeman,  went  to 
the  beacli  to  see  the  missionary  safely  throngh  the 
snrf,  which  was  rnnning  very  high.  Although  one 
of  the  native  canoes  upset,  the  missionary  party  got 
safely  through,  with  nothing  worse  than  a  good 
soaking  from  tlie  waves  which  had  broken  over  the 
boat.  They  were  soon  safely  on  board  the  ship  Queen 
Victoria,  and  the  next  day  set  sail. 

On  the  last  niglit  of  the  year  18-1:2  they  anchored 
in  the  Whydah  roads. 


OKI   (HEAD.) 


HUMAN  SACEIFICES  IN  DAHOMEY. 


CHAPTER   X. 


IN    THE    COUNTRY    OF    THE    AMAZONS. 


JANUARY  1st,  1843,  fell  on  Sunday,  and  Freeman 
had  decided  to  hold  a  service.  But  the  ship  was 
small  and  uncomfortable,  and  many  of  Freeman's 
followers  were  so  sick  with  its  incessant  rolling,  that 
he  decided  upon  landing  as  early  as  possible.  In 
consequence  of  the  nnusually  heavy  surf  breaking 
here,  the  beach  of  Whydah  is  one  of  the  most 
dangerous  spots  on  the  whole  line  of  coast  for  landing. 
After  accomplishing  this  in  safety.  Freeman  was 
dismayed  to  find  that  the  town  was  between  two  and 
three  miles  inland.  To  reach  it  a  broad  expanse  of 
lagoon  has  to  be  crossed  and  a  swamp  waded,  the 
town  itself  being  situated  on  the  slope  of  a  hill.  The 
work  of  conveying  the  packages  from  the  beach  to 
the  town,  with  the  vexatious  delays  which  usually 
take  place,  to  Freeman's  chagrin,  absorbed  so  large  a 
l)ortion  of  the  sacred  hours  of  the  Sabbath  that  it  was 
altogether  too  late  to  attem})t  a  service. 

1 06 


BARTEKINU   FOE   tSLAVES. 


io8  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

The  skve  trade  attracted  to  tliis  spot  a  number  of 
Europeans,  who  found  it  a  convenient  place  for  their 
vile  purpose.  Here  they  acted  as  middlemen  to  the 
king  of  Dahomey,  who  extended  to  them  his  pro- 
tection in  their  trade  of  "  living  ebony."  To  the 
Europeans  were  allotted  certain  quarters  of  the  town 
for  the  establishment  of  factories,  which  were  strongly 
fortified.  To  this  day  the  names  of  the  nations  remain 
to  indicate  the  divisions  of  the  town. 

The  town,  which  has  a  population  of  some  twelve 
thousand  people,  and  is  very  healthily  situated,  is 
disfigured  by  hideous  symbols  of  idolatry,  the  most 
prominent  figure  being  the  obscene  Legba.  Here 
also  is  the  famous  snake-temple,  the  python  being  a 
great  object  of  worship.  Our  missionary  found  him- 
self face  to  face  with  idolatry  of  a  grosser  type  than 
he  had  yet  met. 

He  made  his  way  to  the  quarter  known  as  English 
Town,  and  lodged  in  the  English  Fort,  in  the  hall  of 
which  he  held  divine  service  and  received  visitors. 
On  Sunday,  January  8th,  he  preached  to  a  small 
congregation,  composed  chiefly  of  his  own  followers, 
with  a  few  natives  and  some  Christian  emigrants  from 
Sierra  Leone. 

One  of  his  first  duties  was  to  call  upon  the  Yevogah, 
the  viceroy  who  resides  at  Whydah.  He  explained 
to  him  the  object  of  his  visit,  and  expressed  a  strong 
desire  to  see  the  king,  that  he  might  lay  his  plans 
before  him,  with  a  view  to  obtain  permission  to  begin 
a  mission  in  the  country.  At  first  he  was  regarded  with 
some  suspicion,  but  subsequently  with  greater  favour, 
and  assistance  was  promised. 

Mr.  Freeman  had  an  interview  also  with  the  great 
slave-dealer,  De  Souza,  who,  notwithstanding  his 
well-known  and  degrading  occupation,  received  him 
very  courteously.  From  him  the  missionary  learnt 
that  rumours  of  his  doings  at  Badagry  had  reached 
Whydah  and  Abomi.  His  house  had  been  magnified 
into  a  fort,  and  it  was  freely  stated  that  on  his  visit  to 


IN  THE   COUNTRY  OF   THE  AMAZONS. 


109 


tlie   interior  lie  had    carried  with  him  two  ])ieces  of 
artillery. 

Freeman  then  proceeded  to  the  Leach  to  see  the 
rest  of  his  goods  landed,  and  settle  with  the  captain 
of  the  shi]).     He  had  brought  with  him  three  horses 


"  THE  BOAT  WAS  BORNE  HIGH  UPON  THE  CEEST  OF  A  BILLOW." 

from  Yornba,  one  of  which  he  landed  at  Whydah, 
while  the  other  two  he  sent  to  Cape  Coast,  believing 
that  they  could  live  away  from  the  coast.  The  last 
load  was  being  bronglit  ashore,  when  the  snrf-boat  was 
borne  high  upon  the  crest  of  a  huge  billow  and  flung 
with  such  violence  upon  the  beach  that  to  his  great 


no  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

mortification  it  broke  into  pieces  and  mucli  of  his 
property  was  destroyed.  In  the  conrse  of  a  few  days 
lie  was  fortnnate  enough  to  obtain  another  boat  to  be 
sent  on  to  Badagry — a  necessary  aj^pendage  to  such  a 
mission  station  in  those  days,  when  the  missionary 
was  dependent  upon  the  ships  that  called  to  obtain 
needful  supplies. 

Week  after  week  passed,  Freeman  being  repeatedly 
disappointed  at  not  receiving  the  royal  permission  to 
proceed  to  the  capital  of  Dahomey.  He  then  deter- 
mined to  proceed  to  Cape  Coast  without  seeing  the 
king,  but  was  persuaded  by  De  Souza  to  linger  a  little 
longer.  Then  his  mind  was  troubled  by  misrepre- 
sentations, which  were  also  satisfactorily  explained. 
But  the  weary  waiting  produced  fever  symptoms,  and 
he  chafed  at  the  restraint  under  which  he  found  him- 
self living. 

On  February  5th  a  ship  arrived  from  Cape  Coast 
bringing  him  the  sad  news  of  the  death  of  Mr. 
Shipman,  of  Accra,  which  occurred  on  January  2nd  ; 
but  the  same  mail  informed  him  of  the  arrival  of  more 
missionaries  at  Cape  Coast. 

His  enforced  stay,  though  trying,  obtained  for  him 
influence  among  the  chiefs  and  others.  On  Sundays 
he  conducted  divine  service,  but  seems  to  have  had 
a  few  only  of  the  natives  to  listen  to  the  gospel. 
Thus  the  time  passed  on,  and  it  was  not  till  the 
beginning  of  March  that  he  received  the  much-desired 
permission  to  proceed  to  Dahomey.  This  obtained, 
he  started  at  once  for  Abomi. 

The  path  to  Abomi  along  which  Freeman  travelled 
was  the  same  rough,  unimproved  way  over  which  the 
writer  passed  thirty-eight  years  after.  The  whole 
journey  is  a  gradual  ascent,  with  a  few  minor  depres- 
sions here  and  there.  Till  the  Agrimi  swamp  is 
reached — a  good  half  of  the  journey — the  path  is  for 
the  most  part  pleasantly  shaded  by  trees,  whilst  on 
the  Dahoman  side  of  the  swamp  it  is  bare  of  trees 
and  wearying  to  traverse  during  the  day.     There  is 


/A  THE   COUNTRY  OF   THE  AMAZONS.       in 

compensation,  however,  in  the  good  hard  road  which 
leads  to  Kaiia,  whence  the  whole  eight  miles  to 
Abomi  is  broad  and  well-kept.  There  are  a  nnmber 
of  villages  along  the  way,  with  features  much  in 
common, — a  few  poor  mud-huts,  roofed  with  palm 
leaves,  with  fetish  images  and  shrines  with  offerings. 
Each  village  has  imposed  upon  it  by  royal  mandate 
the  necessity  of  building  and  keei)ing  in  order  a 
large  shed  as  a  resting-place  for  travellers  and 
royal  messengers.  Some  of  them  are  clean,  others 
unwholesome.  At  the  entrance  of  each  village  of 
importance  is  a  "  king's  gate,"  a  structure  much  like 
a  rough  football  goal.  Here  the  native  bares  his  head 
and  shoulder  in  respect  to  royalty,  and  the  gate- 
keeper exacts  toll.  This  humble  officer  acts  in  the 
double  capacity  of  toll-collector  and  detective.  The 
})ath  from  the  seaboard  to  the  capital  is  thus  well 
watched,  and  the  chance  of  escape  for  either  slave  or 
criminal  is  very  small. 

It  was  along  this  path  that  our  missionary  travelled. 
He  met  the  usual  obstacles  in  starting,  as  the  carriers 
of  his  luggage  were  with  difficulty  got  together. 
Having  at  last  seen  the  porters  before  him,  he  mounted 
his  pony.  In  a  short  time  he  had  passed  over  the 
corduroy  road  across  the  Nynsin  swamp,  and  reached 
the  village  of  Savi,  interesting  as  the  ancient  capital 
of  Whydah,  and  as  the  scene  of  a  remarkable  native 
battle.  Another  three  hours  and  a  quarter  of  travel 
brought  him  to  Torri,  about  eleven  miles  from  Why- 
dah. Here  a  colony  of  sacred  monkeys  may  be  seen 
playing  in  the  branches  of  the  magnificent  trees. 
They  presume  upon  their  protection,  descending  into 
the  market-place,  and  in  the  most  flagrant  manner 
steal  tit-bits  from  the  baskets  of  the  women.  Freeman 
made  this  spot  his  bivouac,  as  there  were  many 
laggards  of  his  party  who  did  not  arrive  till  nightfall. 

The  second  night  of  the  journey  he  spent  at  Allada, 
a  town  formerly  of  considerable  importance,  in  which 
centres   a  story  of  great   interest   in   the  history  of 


112  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

Dahomey.  A  royal  residence,  a  large  two-storied  house, 
is  situated  here,  and  in  certain  ceremonious  acts 
pertaining  to  royal  oaths  the  jDlace  is  occasionally 
visited  by  the  monarch.  Mr.  Freeman  calls  the 
house  a  country-seat  of  the  king.  He  noted  what  most 
travellers  in  Dahomey  have  described:  the  extra- 
ordinary colony  of  bats,  the  fine  trees  being  quite 
black  with  tens  of  thousands  of  these  vam23ires  in 
the  daytime,  the  sky  in  the  evening  becoming  quite 
darkened  when  they  fly  off  in  search  of  food. 

The  next  night  he  rested  at  Akpey,  on  the  borders 
of  the  great  Agrimi  swamp.  The  following  is  an 
extract  from  his  journal.  "  As  the  shades  of  evening 
closed  in,  and  the  moon  was  throwing  her  silvery 
light  over  the  dark  foliage  of  the  forest  in  the  distance, 
one  of  my  people  came  to  tell  me  that  he  saw  a  strange 
sight  in  the  heavens.  I  came  out  of  my  tent ;  and, 
to  my  great  delight,  I  saw  the  comet  with  the  nucleus 
just  above  the  tops  of  the  trees,  and  its  enormous 
tail  in  length  equal  to  the  chord  of  an  arc  of  45°." 

The  next  day  Freeman  reached  the  outskirts  of 
Kan  a,  fifty-two  miles  from  Whydah,  a  suburb  of 
Abomi,  where  the  king  was  in  residence. 

Here  he  found  himself  again  face  to  face  with 
horrible  human  sacrifices.  "  We  passed,"  he  writes, 
"  within  five  or  six  yards  of  a  gibbet,  from  which  was 
suspended  the  body  of  a  man,  .  .  .  hanging  with  its 
head  downwards,  the  legs  being  lashed  to  the  beam 
just  above  the  ankles.  One  hand  appeared  to  be 
dropping  off;  having  probably  been  partly  severed 
by  some  sharp  instrument.  Two  or  three  turkey- 
buzzards  were  feeding  underneath  the  gibbet.  .  .  . 
It  was  indeed  a  frightful  sight." 

Drawing  nearer,  the  missionary  and  his  party  halted 
under  the  shade  of  a  tree.  Whilst  there  a  number 
of  the  king's  wives  passed,  with  water-pots  on  their 
heads,  and  in  deference  to  the  king  the  people  turned 
aside.  This  is  Freeman's  description  of  what  followed. 
"  After  we  had  rested  but  a  short  time,  we  heard  the 


IN  THE    COUNTRY  OF   THE  AMAZONS.        113 

drums  begin  to  play,  and  soon  saw  a  party  of  native 
soldiers  at  a  distance  approaching  us,  with  arms,  flags, 
and  native  music.  As  they  advanced  towards  us  we 
moved  nearer  to  the  tree,  and  collected  more  closely 
together,  allowing  room  for  the  soldiers  to  march 
around.  They  then  drew  near.  I  could  perceive 
their  captain  among  them,  who  was  riding  on  a  mule 
under  the  shade  of  a  large  umbrella.  .  .  .  The  chief 
saluted  me  as  he  sat  on  his  mule.  .  .  .  Then  they 
made  a  circuit,  singing  as  they  went ;  after  which 
the  chief  dismounted,  and  danced  before  me  for  a 
few  minutes.  This  was  succeeded  by  several  of  the 
soldiers  firing  a  salute  with  muskets  and  blunder- 
busses ;  and  then,  the  chief's  stool  being  jilaced  near 
me,  he  came  and  shook  hands  with  me,  and  joined 
our  party. 

''  The  streets  were  filled  with  companies  of  soldiers 
for  a  considerable  distance,  each  party  having  its 
res23ective  flags,  banners,  and  umbrellas.  They  pre- 
sented a  gay  and  exciting  appearance."  Mr.  Freeman 
was  evidently  treated  to  the  display  which  every 
European  visitor  witnesses  :  flag-staves  tipped  with 
human  skulls,  stools  and  other  parai^hernalia  decorated 
with  jawbones  of  enemies,  and  almost  every  conceiv- 
able device  to  impress  the  onlooker  with  the  monarch's 
deeds  of  blood. 

The  various  companies  having  passed,  led  by  their 
chiefs,  each  one  under  his  large  umbrella,  they  formed 
in  double  circle,  which  Freeman  and  his  party  traversed 
nine  times  to  give  his  salutations.  This  accom- 
plished, he  took  his  seat  near  the  king's  gate,  and 
there  received  salutations  in  return  from  all  the  high 
officers  of  state,  the  captains  and  great  men.  He  was 
then  handed  over  to  the  care  of  one  of  the  chiefs  as 
his  "  house-master,"  and  to  one  of  the  women  of  the 
royal  household  as  his  "  mother."  After  these  cere- 
monies he  was  conducted  to  his  lodgings,  and  on  the 
way  had  to  pass  round  a  part  of  the  royal  premises. 
At  each  gate  an  ofiicer  and  party  were  established,  to 

8 


114  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

* 

salute  by  discharging  forty  muskets.  Weary  with  the 
day's  procedure,  he  was  glad  to  retire  to  his  quarters, 
which  he  found  very  roomy. 

Two  days  after,  he  was  permitted  an  interview  with 
the  king.  There  was  the  usual  ceremonious  approach. 
Proceeding  a  short  distance,  he  was  bidden  to  halt ; 
then  he  was  invited  a  little  nearer.  Again  he  had  to 
enter  a  large  square  and  wait  for  another  invitation. 
The  royal  messengers  then  advanced  in  a  stooping 
position,  repeating  in  a  low  voice,  "  May  we  come  ? 
may  we  come  ?  "  He  was  conducted  through  another 
gate  and  under  a  thatch  verandah,  where  sat  Gezo, 
king  of  Dahomey,  surrounded  by  his  many  wives,  and 
the  renowned  Amazons  as  his  body-guard. 

The  king  was  seated  upon  a  European  chair,  and 
before  him  was  a  small  European  table  laden  with 
different  kinds  of  European  liquors.  The  messengers 
prostrated  themselves  on  the  ground  at  his  majesty's 
feet,  and  threw  dust  upon  their  heads,  whilst  the 
chiefs  who  conducted  the  stranger  knelt  on  the  ground 
opposite  the  king.  Gezo  arose  and  cordially  greeted 
Freeman,  shaking  his  hand,  and  giving  him  a  hearty 
welcome  to  Dahomey.  Then  he  was  requested  to 
be  seated,  and  the  king  desired  him  to  drink  his 
health.  A  salute  of  twenty-one  guns  was  fired  in 
honour  of  the  Queen  of  England,  the  tally  of  which 
the  king  held  in  his  hand  in  twenty-one  cowrie- 
shells,  which  he  showed  Freeman.  This  salute  was 
followed  by  another  of  nine  guns  for  the  missionary 
himself. 

After  ordinary  matters  had  been  discussed  Freeman 
entered  upon  the  great  subject  of  the  object  of  his  visit. 
He  strove  to  remove  any  wrong  impressions  which  the 
king  had  received  from  the  false  rumours  concerning 
the  oj^erations  at  Badagry,  and  assured  him  that  his 
''operations  there  were  of  a  strictly  religious,  and  not  of 
a  political  nature.  He  seemed  well  satisfied  with  these 
explanations  .  .  .  and  immediately  said,  '  Cannot  you 
do  something  at  Whydah  also  ? '  to  which  I  answered, 


IN  THE   COUNTRY  OF   THE  AMAZONS.        115 

'My  particiiJar  business  with  your  majesty  is  conceruiiig' 
the  mission  at  ]>a(lagry  ;  but  if  you  wish  us  to  com- 
mence one  at  Whydah,  we  will  try  and  attend  to  your 
request  as  nearly  as  possible.  .  .  .'  He  said  he  wished 
us  to  do  so." 

Freeman  then  gave  him  a  brief  account  of  the 
circumstances  which  had  led  to  his  visit  to  Abeokuta, 
and  also  told  him  of  the  work  accomplished  in 
Coomassie.  He  also  assured  the  king  of  the  great 
desire  on  the  part  of  the  English  Government  to 
benefit  xifrica.  At  the  close,  the  missionary  expressed 
a  desire  to  see  Abomi,  and  to  be  permitted  to  return 
as  soon  as  possible,  as  he  had  been  so  long  absent,  and 
many  pressing  duties  called  him  back  to  Cape  (bast. 
Permission  was  at  once  given  for  him  to  visit  Abomi 
within  a  few  days,  and  the  king  promised  that  there 
should  be  no  unnecessary  delay  in  his  departure  to  the 
coast.  At  the  close  of  the  interview  the  king  accom- 
panied him  through  two  courts,  and  as  he  took  his 
leave  the  Amazons  fired  another  deafening  salute  from 
their  muskets. 

In  a  private  interview  the  next  day  the  king 
confirmed  his  statement  in  reference  to  Whydah,  and 
emphatically  desired  that  a  mission  should  be  com- 
menced at  that  place. 

On  the  day  ai)pointed  he  was  escorted  from  Kaila  to 
Abomi.  As  he  passed  down  the  wide  road,  with  two  or 
three  hundred  Dahomans  and  their  chief  as  an  escort, 
and  drew  near  to  the  king's  fetish-house,  the  jiriest 
came  forward  to  pronounce  a  blessing.  "  Though  I 
pitied  the  people,"  he  says,  "  on  account  of  their  super- 
stitions, yet  I  could  not  help  admiring  their  apparent 
sincerity."  In  the  capital  he  was  taken  the  round  of 
the  palaces.  First  he  visited  the  Coomassie  quarter, 
then  Abomi  proper.  He  then  passed  to  the  palace 
usually  occupied  by  Gezo,  the  walls  of  which  he  noticed 
were  decorated  with  human  skulls.  During  the 
writer's  visit  there  was  no  lack  of  skulls  and  blood 
and  human  sacrifice,  but  these  barbarous  trophies  had 


ii6  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN, 

been  removed.  Freeman  describes  a  characteristic 
scene  of  Abomi  as  follows  : — 

"  As  we  passed  along  the  street,  still  near  the  walls 
of  the  royal  premises,  one  of  the  Whydah  people  said 
to  me,  ^  Do  yon  see  that  man  ? '  and  on  looking  up,  I 
saw,  close  to  the  wall  on  the  ontside,  a  kind  of  gibbet, 
on  a  pole  fixed  in  the  ground,  and  about  twenty  feet 
high  above  the  ground  was  secured  the  body  of  a  man 
seated  upright  on  the  top  of  the  pole.  On  inquiry  I 
found  that  the  body  had  been  dried  and  salted,  and 
had  been  preserved  in  this  position  for  nine  months. 
The  man  was  a  public  offender,  and  had  been  guilty 
of  a  great  crime." 

Thus  he  had  seen  Abomi,  a  city  founded  on  blood, 
and  whose  whole  history  might  be  written  in  blood. 
But  its  despotism  has  been  at  last  curbed  by  the 
occupation  by  French  soldiers  at  the  end  of  1892, 
and  probably  Dahomey  will  never  again  assert  her 
independence. 

Freeman  returned  to  Kana,  and  within  a  few  days 
bade  farewell  to  the  king  and  turned,  his  face  to  the 
seaboard.  The  king  gave  presents  for  the  Queen  of 
England,  for  President  Maclean  and  himself,  con- 
sisting of  slave  girls ;  and  two  boys  and  two  girls 
were  entrusted  for  education,  to  be  sent  back  to  the 
king.  Freeman  brought  no  less  than  eight  children, 
whom  he  soon  placed  under  Christian  influences. 
Then,  amidst  the  firing  of  guns  from  the  Amazons, 
Freeman  obtained  permission  to  return.  He  adds  in 
his  journal  the  following  : — 

"  As  soon  as  I  reached  my  quarters,  I  informed  the 
little  Aku  slave  girls  that  they  were  now  all  free  ;  that 
they  should  go  with  me  to  Cape  Coast  for  education, 
and  afterwards  be  sent  honie  to  their  own  country. 
When  the  little  creatures  fully  understood  me,  their 
tears,  which  had  been  for  some  minutes  flowing  apace, 
were  all  dried  up,  their  countenances  beamed  with  joy, 
and  they  became  so  noisy  and  riotous  that  I  was 
obliged  to  scold  them.     The  little  Dahomey  children 


ii8  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

seemed  alarmed  at  first  ;  "but  when  they  knew  their 
destination  and  prospects  they  soon  ceased  to  grieve." 

Early  next  morning  the  king  sent  a  bountiful 
supply  of  food,  and  enquired  if  Freeman  were  ready  to 
start.  The  king  was  waiting  to  bestow  his  last  favours  ; 
and  as  the  missionary  and  his  party  started,  Gezo,  with 
his  bodyguard  surrounding  him,  accompanied  Freeman 
a  short  distance.  More  salutes  were  fired,  and  then 
a  cordial  "  farewell  "  was  uttered.  Two  priests  ran  at 
utmost  speed  along  the  path  for  about  a  hundred  yards, 
made  a  full  stop,  spread  abroad  their  hands  towards 
heaven,  invoking  a  blessing  on  his  journey,  a,nd  then 
informed  the  missionary  that  the  path  was  open  before 
him.  A  few  days  more,  and  he  v>-as  again  at  AVhydah, 
having  accomplished  the  fifty-two  miles  between 
Kana  and  AVhydah  in  a  much  shorter  time  than  on 
the  journey  up.* 

He  spent  a  week  at  Whydah,  then  went  by  lagoon 
to  Ahgwey,  where  he  expected  a  ship  to  call,  in  which 
he  intended  to  voyage  to  Cape  Coast.  Whilst  waiting 
at  Little  Popo  the  arrival  of  the  ship,  he  visited  the 
chief,  George  Lawson,  a  native  who  had  journeyed  to 
England.  He  found  the  old  gentleman  trying  to  raise 
a  school  in  which  to  teach  the  children  elementary 
English.  He  eagerly  accepted  Freeman's  ofi'er  to  send 
a  teacher,  and  Lawson  promised  to  supply  books  and 
do  more  if  possible.  This  was  the  first  step  in  the 
formation  of  the  Popo  Mission,  which  has  continued 
with  few  intermissions  to  this  day. 

On  April  9th,  1843,  Freeman  again  safely  landed  at 
Cape  Coast,  full  of  gratitude  for  the  preservation  of  his 
life  and  health. 

*  The  distance  from  Whydah  to  Abomi  is  about  sixty  miles. 


CHAPTER  XL 


PERILS   AND    CONQUESTS. 


AT  Cape  Coast  Mr.  Freeman  found  George  Chapman 
awaiting  his  directions,  the  young  man  having 
arrived  in  the  previous  January.  As  soon  as  possible 
lie  made  arrangements  to  accompany  him  to  Ashanti. 
In  the  meantime  he  paid  a  flying  visit  to  Dixcove,  and 
reported  a  great  change  for  the  better. 

"Our  work,"  he  writes,  "is  beginning  to  assume 
a  more  cheerful  character.  The  labours  of  a  good 
missionary  would^  I  am  persuaded,  be  speedily  produc- 
tive of  great  good.  I  am  surprised  at  the  wonderful 
change  which  has  taken  place  within  the  last  two 
months.  When  I  was  tliere  I  not  only  met  the 
members  of  the  Church,  but  all  the  head  men  of  the 
town  ;  and  they  have  promised  to  countenance  and  aid 
the  mission  by  all  means  in  their  power." 

In  August  1843  Freeman  for  a  third  time  journeyed 
to  Ashanti,  the  new  missionary  Chapman  accom- 
panying him,  Robert  Brooking  having  been  compelled 
to  return  to  England  through  impaired  health  a  few 

119 


I20  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

months  before.  On  this  occasion  he  occupied  the  new 
mission-house  in  Coomassie,  which  has  been  the  home 
of  all  the  missionaries  and  agents  since,  and  which, 
though  veiy  dila^^idated,  was  the  home  of  the  captive 
German  missionaries  till  the  conclusion  of  the  Ashanti 
war  in  1874. 

Now  in  every  direction  from  Dixcove  to  Badagry, 
and  from  the  interior  stations  cheering  tidings  came 
of  the  ra23id  growth  of  the  good  seed  ;  but  disease  and 
death  constantly  diminished  the  ranks  of  the  workers. 
Mr.  Allen  writes,  in  September  1843  :  "In  that  whole 
range  of  country  we  can  have  access  to  the  people, 
and  have  only  four  missionaries  !  May  I  not  ask,  in 
Scripture  language,  '  What  are  we  among  so  many  ?  ' 
And  may  not  these  people,  to  whom  we  are  obliged 
to  turn  a  deaf  ear,  say,  ^  No  man  careth  for  my  soul '  ?  " 

Freeman  had  now  to  pass  through  an  ordeal  more 
trying  to  him  than  that  of  the  pestilent  climate.  He 
had  to  learn  the  bitter  trial  of  '^  peril  among  false 
brethren."  A  young  man,  one  of  the  large  company 
which  he  brought  back  to  the  coast  in  1841,  who  had 
compromised  his  character  and  left  the  mission, 
returned  to  England  in  1843,  and  at  once  made 
reprisals  by  publicly  denouncing  Freeman  and  his 
work.  The  controversy  raged  for  some  time,  and  was 
eventually  taken  up  by   The  Times  newspaper. 

This,  with  the  financial  condition  of  the  Society, 
combined  with  the  desirability  of  a  needful  rest  for 
recruitino'  his  health,  brouo^ht  Freeman  to  Eno-land 
again  in  the  middle  of  the  year  1844.  Many  unfounded 
charges  were  brought  against  the  devoted  missionary 
and  his  work,  all  of  which  he  was  happily  able  to 
refute.  A  keen  observer  and  missionary  historian  says 
that  "  Mr.  Freeman  came  out  of  this  trial  '  more  than 
conqueror ' "  ;  and  that  it  had  the  effect  of  raising  him 
and  the  mission  still  higher  in  the  estimation  of  the 
friends  of  missions  in  general,  and  also  of  obtaining 
some  additional  supporters  to  the  same  hallowed  cause.* 
■^  Fox's  History  of  Wcslcyan  Missions,  p.  577. 


PERILS  AND   CONQUESTS.  121 

That  these  unjust  aspersions  were  a  great  grief  to  liini 
may  be  gathered  from  an  extract  from  a  private  letter, 
which  the  writer  has  been  permitted  to  peruse,  addressed 
to  a  brother  missionary.  It  is  written  from  11,  Lloyd 
Street,  Lloyd  Square,  Pentonville,  London,  the  resi- 
dence of  Dr.  Beecliam,  and  dated  November  14th,  1844. 

"  I  am  glad  to  find  that  you  have  written  to  the  editor 
of    the    Watchman    respecting    the    heartless    attack 

of  the  apostate on  me  and  my  bretliren,  and  our 

missions  on  the  Gold  Coast.  ...  I  sincerely  thank 
you  for  the  excellent  letter  in  question.  ...  I  was 
aware  when  he  left  the  Coast  that  lie  would  embrace 
every  opportunity  of  injuring  me  and  the  missions 
under  my  superintendence,  but  I  also  felt  satisfied 
that,  while  the  Christian  public  believed  nothing  but 
the  truth,  he  could  do  us  no  permanent  injury.  I  was 
aware  that  he  would  give  a  wrong  colouring  to  every- 
thing which  would  admit  of  a  twofold  representation. 
How  could  I  Jielp  the  work  being  retarded  at  Domo- 
nasi,  or  how  could  I  be  accountable  even  for  an 
irregularity  on  any  station  wliile  my  brethren  were 
dying  around  me,  and  place  after  place  was  left 
unoccupied  by  a  European  missionary  ?  " 

This  incident,  ])ainful  as  it  was,  did  not  prevent  a 
hearty  reception  being  given  to  the  missionary  wher- 
ever he  went  advocating  the  claims  of  his  mission. 
Few  returned  missionaries  had  so  marvellous  a  story 
to  tell  as  he,  and  the  progress  which  had  been  made 
was  amazing,  in  spite  of  disease  and  death.  Thomas 
Fowell  Buxton  headed  the  list  of  special  contributions 
for  the  Gold  (^oast  Mission  with  the  munificent  dona- 
tion of  £200,  and  Thomas  Clarkson  wrote  a  review  of 
Freeman's  published  journals,  commending  the  mission 
to  the  sympatliy  and  support  of  Christians  generally. 

In  spite  of  this  the  committee  found  itself  seriously 
hampered,  and  announced  at  the  annual  meeting  of 
1845  that  there  was  a  debt  connected  with  the  Gold 
Coast  Mission  of  £7,935,  towards  whicli  the  general 
treasurers   liad    received    from   special    contributions 


122  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

£3,000.  Before  the  end  of  the  year,  however,  they 
were  able  to  announce  that  they  had  received  an 
additional  £.2,500.  Mr.  Freeman  spent  nearly  twelve 
months  in  England  on  this  occasion,  and  by  his  various 
addresses  and  testimony  generally  helped  up  the  funds 
of  the  Society.  It  was  proposed  that  he  should  visit 
the  West  Indies,  possibly  with  the  idea  of  strengthen- 
ing the  mission  by  West  Indian  missionaries  ;  but 
that  project  was  abandoned.  He  embarked  for  Africa 
for  a  third  time  from  the  Isle  of  Wight.  Here  the 
Jane  called  to  take  on  board  a  boat  presented  by  Mr. 
White,  the  eminent  ship-builder  of  Cowes,  for  the 
Gold  Coast  Mission.  Freeman  took  with  him  a  young- 
man  of  colour  from  the  West  Indies,  Henry  Wharton, 
who  became,  and  remained  for  many  years,  a  successful 
missionary  in  Western  Africa.  After  a  favourable 
voyage  the  missionaries  landed  at  Cape  Coast  on 
June  23rd,  1845,  where  they  were  welcomed  by 
Mr.  Brooking,  who  had  returned  to  his  work  in 
Africa,  and  Mr.  Chapman,  both  of  whom  looked 
wound-up  and  ill  from  the  effects  of  the  climate.  Mr. 
Chapman  had  returned  from  Coomassie  in  consequence 
of  a  serious  attack  of  Gidnea-ioonn. 

Thus  the  mission  received  the  oversight  of  this 
tireless  man,  who  sped  from  place  to  place  year  in  and 
year  out.  Shock  after  shock  came,  but  he  seemed 
invulnerable  and  kept  steadily  at  work. 

In  the  year  1848  Christianity  was  introduced  into 
the  little  beach  village  of  Assafa,  twenty-two  miles 
eastward  from  Cape  Coast.  In  its  immediate  vicinity 
was  the  sacred  grove  of  Mankessim,  the  mysterious 
abode  of  the  great  National  Bosum.  This  spot  was 
consequently  the  great  centre  of  pagan  influence  for 
the  Fanti  country. 

John  Warden,  a  native  Christian  of  Anamabu,  and 
Imnter  of  wild  game,  made  this  his  temporary  abode. 
By  his  consistent  conduct  and  his  regular  observance  of 
family  worship  the  villagers  were  attracted  and  became 
inquirers.     Two  priests  became  sincere  converts  to  the 


PERILS  AND  CONQUESTS.  123 

Christiau  faitli,  and  joined  the  Christian  liunter  in 
fellowshij).  Very  soon  they  were  visited  by  the 
mission  agents  under  Freeman's  sn])ervisionj  and  a 
little  Church  was  formed  with  a  membership  of  thirty 
persons,  and  the  hunter  appointed  as  their  leader. 
They  soon  built  a  chapel.  Then  followed  in  rapid 
succession  a  series  of  severe  trials. 

Some  of  these  Christians  cultivated  a  small  tract  of 
land  in  the  neighbourhood,  which  gradually  extended 
into  a  small  i\irm  village  with  native  huts.  All  went 
calmly  till  the  year  1851,  when,  without  duly  consider- 
ing the  strength  and  prejudices  of  the  priests,  they 
encroached  upon  the  sanctity  of  the  sacred  grove  by 
cutting  down  a  pole  for  their  use  in  the  plantation. 

This  act  of  indiscretion  met  with  severe  and  undue 
reprisals.  The  priest  influenced  the  chief  of  Mankessim, 
who  led  an  armed  band  against  the  unsus})ecting 
Christians,  cai:»tured  them  whilst  at  their  work,  flogged 
and  imprisoned  them,  placing  them  all  in  irons.  The 
farm  village  was  burnt  down,  and  the  farm,  the  fruit 
of  their  industry,  destroyed. 

At  this  point  the  English  Government  interfered, 
and,  while  admitting  the  indiscretion  of  the  Assafa 
Christians,  called  the  chief  to  account  for  his  lawless 
violence.  The  persecuted  converts  were  set  at  liberty 
and  a  fine  was  imposed  upon  the  chief.  The  Christians 
received  substantial  sympathy  from  their  fellow- 
Christians  at  Cape  Coast  and  Anamabu.  To  their 
credit  it  must  be  added  they  showed  no  resentment 
against  the  priests,  who  however,  could  not  refrain 
from  persecution. 

The  rainy  season  which  followed  was  very  mild,  and 
the  crops  in  consequence  not  very  productive.  The 
calamity  the  priests  ascribed  to  the  apostasy  of  the 
Assafa  Christians  and  their  trespass  upon  the  sacred 
grove.  The  great  Bosum  in  anger  had  withheld  the 
needful  rain,  and  the  converts  were  pointed  out  as 
the  cause  of  the  drought. 

This  culminated  in  the  pagans  suddenly  attacking 


124  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

the  converts,  who  were  lodging  with  some  Anamabii 
Christians,  and  violently  expelling  them  from  the 
town.  Among  the  number  was  the  hunter.  When 
he  called  upon  Mr.  Freeman  to  report  the  circum- 
stance he  appeared  joyous  and  resigned,  though  in 
the  scuffle  he  had  received  a  severe  blow  in  the  eye 
and  was  otherwise  bruised. 

The  chief  and  one  or  two  of  his  most  influential 
captains  were  summoned  to  Cape  Coast  to  answer  for 
this  unlawful  proceeding.  They  were  fined  five  ounces 
of  gold  dust,  equal  to  eighteen  pounds  sterling,  and 
£52  of  gold  dust  as  compensation. 

Although  the  persecution  partially  subsided,  it  was 
evident  from  the  haughty  bearing  of  Edu,  the  chief  of 
Mankessim,  that  a  spirit  of  rebellion  was  fermenting 
and  a  crisis  approaching.  He  refused  to  pay  the 
amount  adjudged  as  compensation  to  the  Christians. 
When  ordered  to  appear  at  the  castle  he  refused  to 
obey  in  terms  which  proved  that  he  reckoned  upon 
the  sympathies  of  the  great  mass  of  i)agans  in  the 
neiglibourhood.  It  was  therefore  evident  that,  if  the 
English  Government  would  keep  up  its  supreme 
authority  and  moral  influence,  force  must  be  used. 

The  expelled  converts  were  not  permitted  to  rest 
in  any  of  the  villages  along  the  coast,  and  finally  it 
was  thought  prudent  to  send  a  police  escort  to  protect 
them,  and  they  were  lodged  in  Anamabu  Castle.  At 
Assafa  the  few  Christians  were  peremptorily  ordered 
to  cease  their  worship,  the  pagans  telling  them 
they  would  shortly  put  a  stop  to  this  ''  going  to 
school "  throughout  the  country.  It  was  plain  that 
a  widespread  persecution  of  the  Christians  was  in- 
tended. 

Encouraged  by  the  i^opular  feeling  and  led  on  by 
the  priests  of  the  secret  oracle  of  the  grove,  Edu 
continued  for  tmany  weeks  to  defy  the  Government, 
and  refused  to  answer  the  summons.  To  prevent  a 
conflict  which  would  j)robably  have  resulted  in  blood- 
shed, some  influential  natives  of  Cape  Coast  begged  to 


PERILS  AND   CONQUESTS.  125 

be  permitted  to  try  a  last  effort  to  persuade  the  chief 
to  appear  at  the  castle,  which  happily  succeeded. 

At  length  Edu  arrived,  accompanied  by  a  large 
body  of  armed  supporters.  He  appeared  before  the 
governor  in  the  great  hall  of  the  castle  attended 
by  numerous  chiefs  and  headmen  from  Cape  Coast, 
Mankessim,  and  the  interior  of  Fanti.  At  first, 
supported  by  popular  clamour,  he  refused  to  enter  the 
castle,  and  demanded  that  his  case  should  be  heard 
outside  the  gates.  The  governor  refused  to  listen  to 
this  request,  and  Edu  was  obliged  to  yield.  When 
questioned  as  to  his  contemjjt  of  authority,  he  retorted 
by  charging  the  judicial  assessor,  Mr.  Cruikshank, 
with  undue  severity,  and  requested  that  the  whole 
case  between  him  and  the  Christians  might  be  re-heard. 

Mr.  Freeman,  who  watched  the  trial,  states  that  at 
this  stage  the  whole  affair  became  deeply  interesting 
and  exciting.  Christianity  was  now  on  its  trial  before 
the  authorities — persons  of  the  greatest  influence  both 
European  and  native.     How  would  it  pass  the  ordeal? 

Twenty-two  of  the  Christian  converts  were  called, 
and  related  their  persecutions  and  their  losses.  It 
was  proved  that  three  only  had  tresi)assed  upon  the 
sacred  grove,  and  they  did  so  without  the  knowledge  of 
their  brethren,  who  with  Kwesi,  their  aged  headman, 
had  reproved  them  for  their  folly.  It  transpired  that 
they  had  simply  cut  a  strong  pole  for  the  more 
convenient  carrying  of  green  withes  for  a  fence — an 
act  which  had  often  been  committed  with  impunity 
by  the  pagans  living  near  the  grove. 

One  stated  that  he  was  at  work  on  his  farm  when 
some  one  told  him  the  little  village  was  in  flames. 
On  hastening  to  the  scene  of  destruction  he  was  met 
by  Edu  and  his  band,  who  questioned  him  as  to 
whether  he  was  a  Christian  ;  then  he  was  seized, 
stripped,  flogged,  and  put  in  irons. 

During  the  examination  many  of  them  stated  their 
reasons  for  embracing  Christianity.  Edumadsi,  a 
converted  fetish  man,  was  peculiarly  interesting.     "  I 


126  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

was  a  fetish  man  myself,"  said  lie,  "  and  I  understand 
the  secret  movements  of  the  fetish  men.  There  is 
no  God  who  can  give  or  take  life  save  the  great 
Jehovah,  who  created  all  things  and  causes  medicine 
to  be  provided  for  the  use  of  man.  As  to  the  whole 
art  of  the  fetish,  I  was  taught  it  by  the  priestess 
Oto  Mokama.  That  I  was  expert  in  my  jjrofession, 
those  who  saw  me  in  my  mad  career  can  testify. 
That  there  were  gods  iu  the  grove  at  Mankessim 
I  seriously  believed." 

He  then  detailed  how  his  wife  had  gone  to  consult 
the  oracle,  and  had  been  outraged  by  the  priests.  He 
was  thus  led  to  see  the  folly  of  their  pretensions,  and 
went  boldly  to  the  great  shrine  and  accused  the 
priests  of  their  wickedness.  After  severely  upbraiding 
them  he  departed,  telling  them  that  this  had  decided 
him  to  become  a  Christian. 

Continuing  his  narrative,  he  said  :  ''  From  that  time 
the  priests  knew  that  I  intended  to  expose  them." 
On  returning  he  passed  the  house  of  a  brother  priest, 
whom  he  informed  of  the  treatment  he  had  received 
from  the  sacred  grove.  This  man  begged  him  to  say 
nothing  of  the  matter  elsewhere,  and  at  once  made  a 
pilgrimage  to  the  grove  to  upbraid  the  priests  for 
acting  so  foolishly.  They  entreated  him  to  act  the 
part  of  mediator,  and  offer  an  apology  and  any  pecuni- 
ary satisfaction.  Anything  was  better  than  exposure. 
''  To  these  overtures,"  said  Edumadsi,  "  I  would  not 
listen,  but  started  for  my  village.  The  name  of  that 
friend,  who  is  still  alive  and  in  this  room,  is  Kwesi 
Kuma,  and  I  beg  that  he  may  be  called  upon  to  say 
whether  I  speak  truth  or  falsehood." 

Kwesi  Kuma  corroborated  every  })articular.  He 
said  he  had  not  yet  become  a  Christian,  but  that  he 
was  so  alarmed  at  the  intrigues  of  his  order  that  he 
was  resolved  to  give  his  aid  in  an  entire  exposure  of 
the  practices  with  which  he  himself  had  been  too  long 
connected.  He  accused  the  priests  of  the  great  oracle 
of  being  the  cause  of  Edu   resisting  the   authorities 


PERILS  AND   CONQUESTS.  127 

and  bringing  the  country  to  the  verge  of  ruin.  Pro- 
ducing great  sensation,  he  declared,  too,  that  since 
tlieir  arrival  at  Cape  Coast  they  had  been  plotting  the 
death  by  poison  of  three  influential  persons,  whom  he 
mentioned  by  name. 

Edu,  the  chief,  offered  a  very  weak  defence.  The 
governor  and  council  of  Europeans,  enlightened  natives, 
and  pagan  chiefs,  retired  to  consult  on  the  case.  The 
former  decision  of  flue  and  compensation  was  con- 
firmed. In  addition  to  this,  however,  Edu  was  bound 
over  to  obedience  to  the  English  Government  and  to 
keep  the  peace  with  the  Christians.  As  a  guarantee 
of  good  behaviour  he  was  ordered  to  lodge  in  the 
castle,  for  the  space  of  three  years,  fifty  ounces  of  gold 
dust,  value  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds  sterling. 

After  the  evidence  of  Kwesi  Kuma  in  reference  to 
the  conspiracy,  nearly  the  whole  troop  of  priests  were 
taken  into  custody  preparatory  to  a  strict  investiga- 
tion.    A  few  days  after,  the  affair  was  inquired  into. 

The  case  was  opened  in  the  great  hall,  in  the 
presence  of  Edu  and  the  chiefs.  The  evidence  was 
clear  and  convincing.  Several  of  these  deceivers  con- 
fessed that  their  fetish  was  nothing  but  their  own 
wicked  intrigues  and  an  utter  delusion.  On  account 
of  the  great  crimes  of  which  they  were  convicted 
several  were  sentenced  to  be  publicly  flogged  and  to 
work  in  irons  for  the  space  of  five  years. 

The  chiefs  were  indignant  that  they  had  been  so 
long  duped,  and  the  evidence  clearly  showed  that  their 
national  religion  consisted  in  nothing  but  the  intrigues 
and  villainy  of  such  men  as  they  saw  before  them. 
They  gave  their  hearty  assent  to  the  punishment  ap- 
pointed. Leaving  the  castle  saddened  and  excited,  they 
asked  :  ''  What  shall  we  now  do  when  we  get  rich  ?  " 
then  adding,  as  though  a  hopeful  solution  had  suggested 
itself,  "  We  had  better  all  go  to  school  together." 

The  execution  of  one  part  of  the  sentence  on  the 
convicted  priests  was  not  long  delayed.  These  un- 
happy deluders  of  their  countrymen  had  the  measure 


128  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN, 

of  tlieir  disgrace  filled  np  by  being  publicly  flogged 
before  the  castle  gates  for  their  conspiracy  to  j^oison 
certain  individuals.  On  that  day  the  greatest  con- 
tempt was  shown  for  these  men  by  those  who  till 
recently  believed  them  to  be  holy  ministers  of  their 
most  sacred  oracle. 

So  Christianity  came  ont  of  the  fire  tried  and  pmified, 
while  the  greatest  disgrace  fell  upon  the  fetishism. 
The  sacred  grove,  no  longer  venerated,  was  regarded  as 
the  scene  of  dark  abominations  and  wicked  intrigues  ; 
and  eventually  it  fell  under  the  woodman's  axe  and 
was  cleared. 

The  chief,  Edu,  returned  to  Mankessim,  dejected 
and  vexed  that  he  had  been  made  the  dupe  of  such 
men.  As  usual  he  went  to  consult  the  oracle,  and  the 
great  Bosum  answered  out  of  the  darkness  as  hereto- 
fore. But  the  suspicious  chief  had  placed  men  in 
ambush,  who  suddenly  pounced  upon  the  sjjot  whence 
the  mysterious  voice  proceeded  and  captured  the 
speakers,  who  were  no  gods,  but  men  no  better  than 
the  rest  of  men  about  him.  For  the  mystery  there 
was  no  longer  respect  or  fear.  The  angry  chief  at 
once  put  these  priests  in  irons  and  kept  them  prisoners, 
somewhat  gratified  that  he  could  bring  upon  their 
heads  a  little  of  the  shame  which  he  had  been  made 
to  feel  in  formerly  championing  their  cause. 

This  exposure  of  the  fetish  clergy  known  as  the 
Brafo  was  a  heavy  blow  at  the  fetish,  and  was  a  cir- 
cumstance of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  spread 
and  establishment  of  Christianity.  There  was  at  once 
a  great  desire  for  the  teaching  of  the  gospel  on  all 
sides. 

The  chief,  Edu,  became  friendly  with  the  Christians, 
and  welcomed  the  establishment  of  a  school  at  Man- 
kessim, supplying  fifteen  children  from  his  own  house- 
liold  as  a  beginning. 

The  fall  of  the  Mankessim  Brafo  was  followed  by 
other  incursions  upon  the  fetish.  Yamaki,  the  chief 
of  Aberadzi,  near  Domonasi,  at  his  own  expense  built 


PERILS  AND   CONQUESTS.  129 

a  little  chapel  for  Christian  worship  iii  his  village. 
To  sliow  his  contempt  for  the  superstitions  of  liis 
former  clays,  he  cut  down  a  majestic  bombax  standing 
at  the  entrance  to  the  village,  which  was  regarded  as 
the  great  fetish-tree.  While  it  was  being  felled,  and 
as  it  tumbled  to  its  doom,  he  addressed  it  thus  : — 
"  Ah,  if  YOU  were  a  man  I  would  make  you  refund  all 
the  gold  dust  and  fine  fat  slieep  and  goats  and  the 
rest,  which  I  have  in  past  days  lavished  upon  you." 

Soon,  another  ancient  sect  of  superstition  yielded  to 
the  power  of  the  gospel.  Freeman's  own  account  of 
his  visit  there  and  to  Mankessim  is  deeply  interesting, 
but  too  full  to  be  inserted  here.  Akrodu,  a  village 
forty  miles  in  the  interior,  was  noted  for  a  more  ancient 
fetish  establishment  than  even  that  of  Mankessim. 
Mr.  Freeman  took  his  stand  under  a  tree  and  preached 
to  the  fetishmen  and  the  villagers.  A  few  days  after, 
at  Anamabu,  he  held  a  public  baptism  service. 
''  The  old  fetishman  of  Akrodu  was  present  ;  and 
when  the  question  was  proposed  to  him,  '  Wilt  thou 
then  be  baptised  in  this  faith  ? '  he  exclaimed  aloud, 
^  What !  will  I  be  baptised  ?  Yes.  I  want  all  the 
water  from  the  vessel  poured  over  me.' "  Mr.  Freeman 
remarks,  "  What  an  echo  of  '  Lord,  not  my  feet  only, 
but  also  my  hands  and  my  head ' !  " 

Close  upon  the  trials,  to  which  reference  has  been 
niade,  a  gracious  wave  of  revival  swept  over  the 
mission.  All  the  stations  on  the  Gold  Coast  seemed 
to  have  been  more  or  less  visited.  Mr.  Freeman  was 
incessant  in  the  glorious  toil.  At  Anamabu  he  was 
called  upon  to  receive  a  number  of  adults  by  baptism 
into  the  Church.  These  catechumens  had  aJl  been 
prepared  by  a  long  trial. 

''  They  thronged  the  communion  rail  all]round  four 
deep^^  says  Freeman,  ''  and  I  found  at  the  conclusion 
that  1  had  baptised  eighty-two  adults  and  eight  infants. 
...  It  was  indeed  a  delightful  scene  to  witness 

'  Crowding  ranks  on  every  side  arise, 
Demanding  life,  impatient  for  the  skies  ! '  " 

9 


I30  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

A  notable  lovefeast  held  at  Cape  Coast  in  1852 
closed  up  a  series  of  remarlvable  meetings.  Kwesi, 
the  old  grey-headed  patriarch  from  Assafa,  with  fifty 
young  men  from  Mankessim,  were  present.  The 
venerable  man  spoke  of  his  experience  with  artless 
fervour,  moving  those  who  knew  all  the  circumstances 
of  his  persecution  and  loss  to  tears.  Then  followed 
a  sacramental  service,  when  the  crowds  were  so  great 
that  it  was  ai)proaching  eleven  o'clock  at  night  before 
the  service  concluded. 

Although  the  people  had  been  thronging  the  church 
from  five  in  the  morning  to  that  late  hour,  they  were 
again  at  the  sacred  place  for  the  early  morning  prayer- 
meeting  on  Monday  at  five  o'clock  ;  again  at  the 
ordination  service  of  the  native  minister  at  eleven 
o'clock,  and  still  with  undiminished  interest  they 
crowded  in  to  share  in  a  valedictory  service.  Mr. 
Freeman  writes  as  follows  : — 

"  Thus  ended  a  series  of  services  far  exceeding,  in 
deep  and  powerful  interest  of  the  best  and  holiest  kind, 
anything  I  have  ever  witnessed  in  this  2>art  of  the 
wodd." 

Whilst  spiritual  progress  was  made,  Mr.  Freeman 
did  all  he  could  to  promote  the  education  of  the  people 
in  the  peaceful  arts,  which  ever  follow  in  the  wake  of 
true  religion.  Governor  Hill  in  a  despatch  to  Earl 
Grey  wrote  with  approval  of  the  mission  under  the 
supervision  of  Mr.  Freeman,  and  appended  a  report  by 
him  of  an  industrial  agricultural  school  established  at 
Beulah,  about  eight  miles  in  the  interior  from  Cape 
Coast.  This  report  was  considered  of  such  importance 
that  it  was  published  as  a  parliamentary  j)aper. 

Some  years  before,  Mr.  Freeman  had  examined  with 
interest  the  industrial  schools  of  the  German  mission- 
aries at  Accra,  and  on  a  small  scale  had  attempted 
a  similar  thing  at  Domonasi — which  prepared  the  way 
for  the  more  extensive  undertaking  at  this  spot  which 
our  missionary  called  Beulah.  The  station  was 
intended  to  serve  as  a  sanitarium  for  the  missionaries 


PERILS  AND   CONQUESTS.  131 

us  well  us  Jill  industrial  school.  It  })roved  a  i)loasaiit 
resort  for  the  inhabitants  of  Cape  Coast,  who  freipiently 
spent  a  holiday  there.  The  garden  was  richly  stocked 
with  fruits  and  ])lants  of  all  descriptions,  and  was 
exceedingly  productive.  Had  it  been  more  liberally 
sustained  it  would  eventually  have  been  a  source  of 
income  to  the  mission.  When  the  writer  became 
ac(piainted  with  it  its  glory  had  passed  away,  and  it 
was  })erishing  from  neglect.  Nevertheless  even  then 
the  mission  table  was  well  supplied  with  fruit  from 
this  source.  The  work  of  cultivation  was  done  by  the 
scholars,  assisted  by  a  few  labourers,  and  overlooked 
by  an  agent,  who  also  cared  for  the  spiritual  needs  of 
the  small  societies  around. 

The  house  which  Freeman  built  remained  to  the 
year  1874,  when  the  Ashanti  army  comj^leted  the 
wreck.  Very  little  now  remains  except  tangled  coffee 
l^lants,  to  indicate  where  once  was  a  beautiful  place  of 
resort.  On  the  spot  has  sprung  up  a  small  village, 
still  known  as  Beulah,  an  out-station  of  the  (Jape  Coast 
Mission. 


LAGOS. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

SUNSHINE   AND    SHADOW. 

IN  1854  Mr.  Freeman  made  another  journey  to 
Dahome}',  taking  with  him  Henry  Wharton.  First 
they  called  at  Whydah,  and  here  they  saw  a  sight 
which  happily  is  not  a  frequent  one  to-day.  When 
they  came  to  an  anchorage  in  the  Whydah  Roads 
they  were  the  unwilling  witnesses  of  a  slave  ship- 
ment. By  aid  of  their  glasses  they  saw  a  number 
of  large  canoes  skirting  the  breakers  and  making 
rapidly  for  a  spot  marked  on  the  beach  by  a  Portuguese 
flag.  Presently  a  swift  slave  ship  flew  by  them  and 
anchored  just  opposite  the  flag.  Then  a  line  of 
hammocks  issued  from  the  sheds  on  shore,  surrounded 
by  a  swarm  of  naked  negroes,  male  and  female. 
Through  the  telescope  they  could  plainly  see  the 
thongs  fastened  to  the  necks  of  these  poor  helpless 
slaves  as  they  were  driven  to  the  beach  for  shipment. 
Six  hundred  and  fifty  poor  wretches  were  put  on  board 
the  ship.  Four  were  drowned  from  leaping  over  the 
side  of  the  canoe  on  the  way  to  tlie  ship,  preferring 
death  to  slavery  in  a  foreign  land.     One  poor  mother 


SUNSHINE  AND  SHADOW.  133 

was  torn  from  her  few-days'-old  child,  notwithstanding 
her  j)iteous  ap2)eals.  Snch  were  the  horrors  of  the 
West  African  slave  trade  ! 

By  the  middle  of  the  day  the  slave  ship  had  taken 
in  her  living  freight,  and  was  flying  like  a  gnilty  thing 
before  the  breeze  to  a  distant  land.  Mr.  Freeman 
commnnicated  the  information  of  what  he  had  wit- 
nessed to  the  English  Government,  which  resnlted  in 
a  closer  watch  of  these  shores,  and  the  strengthening 
of  the  West  African  fleet  of  gunboats. 

By  his  watchfulness  the  ship  in  which  they  were 
travelling  was  saved  from  being  wrecked.  A  furious 
storm  blew  up,  and  Mr.  Freeman  of  all  the  party 
alone  remained  on  deck.  As  he  peered  into  the  dark- 
ness he  thought  they  were  suspiciously  near  another 
ship.  Calling  up  the  captain,  he  discovered  that  the 
anchor  was  dragging,  and  that  they  were  in  danger  of 
being  driven  ashore.  Another  anchor  was  let  go  to 
stay  the  vessel,  and  thus  the  danger  was  averted. 

Mr.  Dawson,  the  native  assistant- missionary,  and  his 
wife,  who  had  been  stationed  at  Whydah,  received  and 
entertained  the  missionaries  as  well  as  they  were  able. 

They  were  soon  on  their  way  to  Dahomey,  with  the 
road  to  which  the  reader  has  already  become  acquainted 
when  Mr.  Freeman  made  his  former  journey.  Gezo 
received  them  cordially.  Accomimnying  the  mission- 
aries were  the  two  girls  entrusted  to  Freeman  for  educa- 
tion, who  had  been  baptised  Grace  and  Charity.  These 
were  returned  safely  into  the  hands  of  the  king,  who 
manifested  no  sort  of  gladness. 

After  a  short  stay  with  the  king,  with  the  usual 
ceremonies  and  dreadful  displays,  the  missionaries 
returned  to  Whydah  and  up  the  lagoons  to  Ahgwey, 
Little  Popo,  and  right  along  the  beach  to  Accra. 

Later  on  in  the  same  year  we  find  him  visiting 
Abeokuta  again,  where  he  strengthened  the  hands  of 
the  Christians.  At  this  time,  too,  he  visited  Lagos, 
where  some  two  years  before  the  Wesleyan  Missionary 
Society  had  begun  a  mission. 


134  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

Our  notice  of  this  important  place  must  be  brief, 
to  bring  it  within  our  present  limits.  Lagos  was  a 
notorious  slave-mart.  In  1851,  with  the  object  of 
stopping  this  vile  traffic,  the  Englisli  Government  sent 
a  consnl  to  enter  into  a  treaty  with  Kosoko,  the  king, 
a  great  slave-dealer.  For  some  years  Kosoko  had  been 
the  means  of  stirring  up  great  strife,  and  the  whole 
lagoon  from  Lagos  to  Badagry  had  been  rendered 
unsafe  by  his  war-canoes.  Kosoko  refused  to  enter 
into  a  treaty  to  put  an  end  to  the  slave  trade,  and 
was  therefore  removed  from  his  kingly  position,  and 
Akitoye,  the  rightful  king,  whom  he  had  deposed, 
reinstated. 

Akitoye  had  appealed  to  Britain  for  help  to  regain 
his  throne,  and  promised  to  suppress  slavery.  He  was 
taken  on  board  an  English  ship  which  entered  the 
river,  and  after  a  decisive  engagement  with  Kosoko, 
who  fled,  Akitoye  was  placed  on  the  throne  of  his 
fathers. 

On  New  Year's  Day,  1852,  this  important  treaty 
with  England  was  signed.  The  king  promised  to  put 
down  the  slave  trade,  abolish  human  sacrifices,  and 
give  i3erfect  liberty  and  protection  to  Christian  mis- 
sionaries to  follow  their  vocation.  A  few  months  after 
the  Wesleyan  missionaries  entered  the  place,  and  have 
occupied  it  ever  since.  Lagos  has  proved  to  be,  from 
its  peculiar  position,  the  true  key  to  all  Yoruba-land. 
It  is  but  a  small  island,  three  miles  by  two,  but  it 
stands  at  a  point  of  the  lagoon  where  the  great  water- 
courses converge  and  debouch  into  the  sea. 

The  history  of  the  establishment  of  Christianity  in 
this  island  would  read  like  an  exciting  romance,  and 
deserves  to  be  told  in  detail.  The  beginnings  were 
not  encouraging  ;  the  work  was  hard  and  the  dangers 
not  a  few. 

It  was  to  promote  the  establishment  of  the  work 
here,  and  to  encourage  by  his  counsel  the  agents  wlio 
were  appointed  to  this  difficult  sphere,  that  Mr.  Free- 
man visited  the  town  in  1854,  on  his  way  to  Abeokuta. 


SUNSHINE  AND  SnADOW 


135 


As  Lao'os  o-row  in  im])ovf,n,nco  as  a  mission  station, 
l>;ulagry  waned,  till  at  last  it  bccanic  an  nninipoi-tant 
ont-station.  For  some  years  it  was  iinoceupicul  l)y  the 
Wesley  an  Mission,  but  more  recently  the  work  has 
Ix^en  resumed. 


A    LAGOS  VILLAGE. 


Wlien  Freeman  arrived  he  found  Lagos  enjoying*  a 
com])arative  calm,  after  terrible  strife  and  civil  war. 
Rival  factions  had  kept  the  town  alive  witli  their 
fights,  and  more  than  once  the  missionaries  received 
protection  from  Englisli  gnnboats.      At  last  Kosoko 


136  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

had  retired,  and,  for  a  time  at  least,  had  given  up  the 
struggle  to  regain  the  throne.  Akitoye  had  died  sud- 
denly, and  Dosumu,  his  son,  was  reigning  in  his  stead. 

The  foundation  of  a  mission  deep  and  broad  was 
being  laid  at  this  time  by  the  missionaries,  and  as  a 
result  the  Lagos  Church  is  one  of  the  most  flourishing 
to-day  in  West  Africa.  Mr.  Freeman  and  his  com- 
panion were  met  by  the  Euroi)ean  missionary  Gardiner, 
stationed  at  Lagos,  and  the  following  day  they  began 
special  religious  services  in  the  little  temporary  bamboo 
chapel,  which  were  attended  by  Christian  emigrants 
from  Sierra  Leone,  school-children  and  a  few  natives. 
King  Dosumu  and  Consul  Campbell  received  him  very 
kindly,  whilst  the  members  of  the  Church  rejoiced 
greatly  at  his  visit.  On  the  Sunday  he  preached  twice 
to  large  congregations.  A  week  later,  on  his  return 
from  Abeokuta,  December  5th,  1854,  he  held  the  first 
Wesleyan  missionary  meeting  in  Lagos.  This  must 
have  been  a  service  of  great  interest.  The  English 
Consul  presided,  and  the  king  of  Lagos,  who  was 
present,  surrounded  by  his  chiefs,  made  a  speech  and 
emphasised  it  by  a  subscription  of  five  pounds.  The 
collection  on  the  spot  amounted  to  sixty-five  pounds. 

The  following  clay  Mr.  Freeman  met  the  missionaries 
and  in'incipal  leaders  of  the  Church  to  consult  and 
devise  means  for  the  promotion  and  prosperity  of  the 
mission.  They  projected  plans  for  chapel  building 
and  extension  generally.  Thus  he  brought  to  a  close 
his  first  successful  visit  to  Lagos. 

The  journey  from  Lagos  to  Abeokuta,  which  was 
made  in  a  native  canoe  up  the  river  Ogun,  is  well 
known  to  the  writer  of  this  biography — across  the 
broad  expanse  of  lagoon,  through  the  Agboi  Creek, 
reeking  with  mangrove  swamp  slime,  and  offensive 
with  the  scent  of  alligators.  Then  into  the  open  river, 
here  and  there  beautiful  with  overhanging  trees  and 
picturesque  windings.  All  this  Mr.  Freeman  noted. 
On  tlie  fourth  day  he  arrived  at  Abeokuta. 

At  Aro  he  was  met  by  the  native  minister  Bicker- 


SUNSHINE  AND  SHADOW.  137 

steth,  and  many  members  of  the  Church.  Shamoye, 
tlie  brother  of  Sliodeke  the  great  cliief,  who  liad  died 
some  time  before,  honoured  his  okl  friend,  wlio  liad 
spent  the  day  in  the  Adu  Camp  witli  liim,  on  liis 
first  visit,  by  sending  ^'a  beautiful  war-horse  gaily 
caparisoned  in  Moorish  fashion."  Visits  of  ceremony 
were  tlien  paid  to  Sagbua,  wlio  had  succeeded  Shodeke 
as  the  chief  ruler  to  Shamoye  and  otliers. 

Shamoye  reminded  Freeman  that  on  his  visit  in 
1842  lie  had  made  choice  of  a  piece  of  ground  for  a 
mission  station,  and  that,  although  since  Shodeke's 
death  others  had  applied  for  it,  the  land  had  been 
carefully  preserved  for  him.  Freeman  was  pleased 
that  he  had  been  so  well  remembered,  and  said  the 
land  should  be  taken  possession  of,  and  the  station 
should  be  a  memorial  of  the  old  chief. 

The  next  few  days  were  filled  with  services  ;  there 
were  several  baptisms  and  weddings,  and  then  a  well- 
attended  missionary  meeting.  "After  the  object  of 
the  meeting  had  been  stated,  Mr.  Bickersteth  stood  at 
the  communion-rail  to  take  down  the  names  of  the 
subscribers.  It  was  very  delightful  to  see  the  people 
.  .  .  leaving  their  seats  and  coming  up,  one  after  the 
other,  saying,  '  Five  shillings,' '  Ten  shillings,'  '  Fifteen 
shillings,'  and  so  on." 

After  a  hasty  call  upon  the  Church  missionary, 
Henry  Townsend,  and  his  wife,  and  also  upon  Sagbua, 
Freeman  was  once  more  hurrying  back  to  the 
coast  ;  and  by  poling  day  and  night  the  canoe-men 
landed  him  and  his  companion  at  Lagos  in  two  days. 
A  few  days  after  he  embarked  on  the  mail  steamer 
for  the  Gold  Coast. 

In  the  midst  of  a  rebellion  at  Accra,  which  imperilled 
the  little  Church,  and  in  the  face  of  pagan  opposition 
at  Cape  Coast  and  Anamabu,  in  reference  to  the 
(yhristian  fishermen  prosecuting  their  calling  on  the 
pagan  fishermen's  sacred  day,  and  yet  withal  successes 
in  nearly  all  the  stations,  Freeman  plodded  on  at  his 
work. 


138  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

So  successful  was  he,  tliat  lie  found  extensions  and 
enlargements  necessaiy,  which  involved  an  embar- 
rassing outlay  upon  the  missionary  committee.  Then 
followed  a  correspondence  between  Mr.  Freeman  and 
the  secretaries  of  the  Society  which  was  painful  in 
the  extreme  to  both.  Such  were  the  wonderful 
openings  for  missionary  enterprise,  that  no  good 
man  would  willingly  do  anything  to  stop  a  work 
so  manifestly  owned  of  God.  Nevertheless,  the 
members  of  the  committee,  feeling  themselves  already 
so  heavily  involved,  thought  it  prudent  to  inform 
this  ardent  servant  of  God  that  the  expenditure 
must  necessarily  be  lessened.  Such  a  huge  piece 
of  machinery  had  been  set  in  motion,  however,  that 
it  was  not  possible  all  at  once  to  cut  off  supplies  on 
the  coast  or  in  the  interior. 

Retrenchment,  painful  as  it  might  be  to  the 
committee,  was  much  more  so  to  the  devoted  mis- 
sionary who  had  sacrificed  so  much  and  laboured  so 
unsparingly.  He  felt  that  other  hands  should  lower 
the  flag,  for  he  was  reluctant  to  show  any  signs  of 
retreat. 

The  painful  correspondence  culminatedin  the  appoint- 
ment, by  the  committee,  of  the  admirable  Eev.  Daniel 
West  as  a  delegate  to  inquire  into  the  condition  of  the 
Gold  Coast  mission,  financial  and  otherwise.  He,  with 
the  Rev.  William  West,  who  was  appointed  financial 
secretary  to  the  mission,  arrived  at  Cape  Coast  at  tlie 
end  of  the  year  185G. 

Daniel  West  spent  about  four  months  in  the  country, 
personally  inspecting  as  much  of  the  mission  as  was 
possible,  even  mailing  a  journey  to  Lagos  and  Abeokuta. 
Mr.  Freeman  was  delighted  with  the  intercourse  lie 
had  with  him,  accomi)anying  him  in  all  his  journeys 
and  giving  every  facility  for  a  clear  understanding  of 
the  condition  of  things.  This  able  and  devoted 
minister  never  reached  England  to  report  to  the 
committee  what  he  had  seen,  but  died  at  the  Gambia 
on  February  24th,  1857.     Mr.  Freeman  was  of  opinion 


SUNSHINE  AND  SHADOW.  139 

that  had  lie  been  al)lo  to  present  his  report  in  person 
to  tlie  committee,  tlie  subsequent  results  Avonld  liav(; 
been  difl'erent. 

Mr.  Freeman  was  now  relieved  of  the  ])urden  of 
the  finances  by  the  Rev.  William  AVest,  who  liad  been 
a])])()inted  secretary,  and  soon  after  he  was  su})erseded 
by  him  as  the  general  superintendent  of  tlie  mission. 
Then  conditions  were  proposed  which  Mr.  Freeman 
found  he  could  not  comply  with  ;  and  the  friction 
was  so  painful  that  he  reluctantly  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society. 

During  his  twenty  years'  continuous  service  Mr. 
Freeman  had  been  incessant  in  his  labours  to  spread 
the  gospel.  Such  had  been  his  success  that  the  Coast 
had  been  dotted  with  stations  from  Dixcove  to 
Lagos,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles.  He  had 
borne  the  gospel  to  Ashanti,  Dahomey,  and  Yoruba, 
and  hundreds  of  heathen  had  been  won  to  Christ  as 
the  seal  to  his  ministry. 

Mr.  Freeman  retired  to  Accra  with  his  wife,  a 
native  of  the  Gold  Coast  and  the  mother  of  his 
children.  Though,  for  a  time,  he  was  severed  from 
the  ministry  of  the  Wesleyan  Church,  he  still  took 
the  deepest  interest  in  the  mission,  and  frequently 
filled  the  pulpit,  and  served  its  interests  in  other 
useful  ways. 

The  Colonial  Government  was  glad  to  avail  itself 
of  Mr.  Freeman's  experience  and  knowledge  of  the 
country  and  the  people,  and  employed  him  on  delicate 
political  embassies  to  tribes  in  the  interior,  and  freely 
consulted  him  on  matters  of  importance. 

He  was  free  now  also  to  put  to  a  practical  test  what 
he  had  from  the  beginning  believed  an  important 
means  of  civilisation.  He  secured  a  large  tract  of 
land  within  the  bend  of  the  river,  some  eight  miles 
interior  from  Accra.  Here  he  cultivated  fruits  and 
vegetables  to  jierfection,  and  sup])lied  the  Europeans 
and  others  at  Accra.  He  thus  fornied  another 
Benlah,  which  it  is  to  be  hoped  will  not  suffer  the 


I40  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

same  fate  through  neglect  as  the  gardens  near  Cape 
Coast. 

He  not  only  gave  himself  to  these  agricultural 
pursuits,  but  went  to  considerable  pains,  in  the 
interests  of  science,  to  procure  rare  and  valuable 
species  of  orchids  from  the  forests.  For  many 
years  he  corresponded  with  the  authorities  at  Kew, 
and  supplied  not  only  rare  specimens  of  plants  but 
also  useful  information.  Thus  the  years  went  on, 
and  Mr.  Freeman  became  increasingly  respected, 
especially  by  the  community  at  Accra,  with  whom 
he  was  brought  more  frequently  into  contact ;  for 
his  social  qualities  were  of  the  highest  order.  He 
was  a  most  interesting  companion.  On  this  estate 
he  built  a  house,  in  which  the  writer  has  had  the 
23leasure  of  visiting  him.  Here,  and  in  the  town  of 
Accra,  his  family  grew  up  about  him. 

It  was  well,  perhaps,  that  such  an  ardent  nature 
should  have  a  time  of  quiet  rest.  This  interval 
extended  over  sixteen  years,  and  the  writer  feels  it  to 
be  one  of  the  honours  of  his  life  that  he  had  a  part 
in  persuading  Mr.  Freeman  to  resume  the  duties  of 
an  active  missionary  life. 

In  the  year  1873  he  returned  to  the  Mission,  and 
received  a  hearty  welcome  by  all  the  missionaries 
engaged  on  the  Gold  Coast  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Wesleyan  Missionary  Society.  He  was  appointed  at 
once  to  take  charge  of  the  now  important  mission  at 
Anamabu,  and  entered  with  his  usual  ardour  upon  the 
work  he  knew  so  well  how  to  do.  As  the  reader 
will  know,  he  was  upon  familiar  ground,  and  under 
his  fostering  care  the  cause  marvellously  prospered. 


INTERIOR   OF  THE   CASTLE,  CAPE  COAST. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

GATHEEING  IN  THE  SHEAVES. 

SOON  after  Mr.  Freeman's  return  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry  the  threatened  invasion  of  Fanti 
by  the  warlike  Ashantis  became  a  dreadful  reality. 
The  invading  hordes  drew  very  near  to  Cape  Coast 
and  other  coast  towns  ;  and  to  avert  a  worse  calamity 
it  was  needful  to  seek  aid  from  England.  Sir  Garnet 
Wolseley  was  sent  out  by  the  English  Government, 
and  led  his  little  army  of  Englishmen  and  native  con- 
tingents against  the  fierce  foe,  driving  them  gradually 
back  until  he  had  to  recross  the  Bosum  Prah.  The 
victorious  General  followed  up  his  successes  by  enter- 
ing Coomassie  and  leaving  it  in  ruins.  Sir  Garnet 
obtained  the  permission  of  the  AVesleyan  Missionary 
Society  to  secure  the  services  of  Mr.  Freeman  for  a 
time,  as  no  one  was  so  well  able  to  furnish  informa- 
tion such  as  the  General  needed.  As  soon  as  possible 
Freeman  was  happily  released  from  a  duty  that  could  not 
be  pleasant,  and  which  was  likely  to  compromise  him. 
A  fearful  scourge  of  small-pox  had  ravaged  the 
141 


142  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

Gold  (Joast  a  few  years  previously,  and  now  the 
country  was  suffering  from  the  awful  scourge  of  war. 
These  terrible  calamities  had  the  effect  of  chasten- 
ing the  people,  and  doubtless  prepared  the  way  for 
a  gracious  work  in  which  our  friend  took  a  prominent 
part.  He  had  lived  to  gather  some  of  the  precious 
fruit  and  to  rejoice  as  men  do  in  harvest.  We  con- 
dense from  his  own  report  the  blessed  experiences  which 
he  records  in  detail  between  the  years  1876  and  1877. 

Early  in  October  1875  he  visited  Kuntu,  an  out- 
station  of  Anamabu,  where  he  found  the  Christians 
greatly  quickened  and  in  great  spiritual  expectancy. 
During  his  preaching  the  people  were  deeply  moved  and 
cried  aloud.  As  they  knelt  penitently  at  the  com- 
munion rail  many  trembled  exceedingly,  and  clutched 
the  rail  to  prevent  their  falling,  such  was  their  deej) 
emotion.  A  few  days  after,  at  Anamabu,  he  adminis- 
tered the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  to  three 
hundred  communicants.  In  the  same  month  he 
visited  Cape  Coast  and  joined  the  excellent  native 
minister,  Andrew  W.  Parker,  in  conducting  a  special 
prayer-meeting  for  penitents.  Such  was  the  gracious 
influence  resting  upon  the  people  that  cries  for  mercy 
resounded  through  the  schoolroom.  Many  found  the 
peace  they  sought,  while  the  remaining  penitents 
adjourned  to  the  house  of  one  of  the  leaders  and 
continued  all  night  in  earnest  prayer. 

At  Salt  Pond,  which  was  such  hard  soil  to  break  in 
his  earlier  days,  he  preached  to  a  crowded  congregation 
in  a  large  sanctuary,  and  administered  the  Sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Suj)per  to  a  church  full  of  members. 
At  the  after  meeting  the  same  wonderful  scenes  were 
repeated,  and  many  penitents  sought  Divine  favour. 
At  Accra  he  ministered  to  another  crowded  congre- 
gation, and  at  the  close  desired  those  who  were  not 
members  to  leave,  as  he  would  give  the  Lord's  Supper 
to  those  alone.  None  moved,  and  he  was  sur])rised  to 
find  every  one  in  the  over-filled  church  a  member. 

At    Elmina,   in    company   with   the   Rev.    George 


GATHERING  IN  THE   SHEAVES.  143 

Dyer,  who  had  recently  arrived  from  Enghmd,  and  the 
native  ministers  Messrs.  Lain";  and  Parker,  lie  held 
a  notable  service.  The  chapel  was  thronged,  whilst 
others  pressed  ronnd  the  open  door  and  windows. 
Mr.  Freeman  adds  :  "  There  was  a  gracions  in- 
flnonce  resting  on  the  congregation.  We  invited 
penitents  to  the  commnnion  rail,  to  which  they  came 
in  crowds.  Tlien  the  Blessed  Spirit  brooded  over  lis, 
and  we  had  a  fine  revival-meeting.  Scores  of  the 
congregation  were  in  tears  and  crying  for  mercy,  and 
many  Ibniid  peace  and  joy  in  believing."  Such  a 
meeting  had  never  been  known  in  Elmina. 

At  Anamabu  again  he  called  npon  the  peoi)le  to 
rei)ent,  and  then  reproached  himself  for  his  weakness 
of  faith.  Here  is  the  touching  entry  in  his  journal  : 
"  Oh,  for  more  cliild-like  confidence  in  God,  that  He  will 
endue  me  with  greater  nnction,  and  with  a  tongue 
of  fire  !  Then  1  may  hope  to  be  a  more  successful 
preacher  of  the  glorious  gosi)el.  I  never  leave  the 
])ulpit  without  a  feeling  of  dissatisfaction  with  myself. 
That  feeling  is  ever  i)resent,  but  at  certain  times 
painfully  intense, — Lord,  help  me  ;  Lord,  save  me  ! " 
At  Great  Kormantine  the  people  "  cried  mightily  to 
the  Lord  for  salvation."  Leaving  the  chapel  he 
])reaclied  to  the  fisliermen  in  the  open  air,  "  who  were 
moved  by  the  great  truths  declared; "  and  subsequently 
he  "  repaired  to  the  chapel  to  perform  marriage  cere- 
monies. Three  couples  were  to  be  married  ;  but  1 
had  to  wait  some  time,  as  one  of  the  young  brides- 
elect  had  fallen  insensible  on  the  floor  under  the 
hallowed  fervour  of  the  morning  prayer-meeting,  and 
there  was  some  delay  occasioned  thereby  in  her  being 
made  ready  for  the  marriage." 

Such  were  the  multitudes  now  attending  divine 
worship  at  Cape  Coast  that  Mr.  Freeman  consulted  with 
the  trustees  of  Wesley  Church  as  to  its  enlargement. 
They  decided  that  the  boys'  school  should  be  fitted  up 
as  a  chapel-of-ease.  He  immediately  made  arrange- 
ments   for    commencing    operations.      Whilst    thus 


144  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

engaged  at  Caj^e  Coast  he  received  letters  from  bis 
wife,  who  remained  at  Anamabu.  Tbe  extracts  are 
simple  and  touching,  and  prove  her  deep  interest  in 
the  spiritual  work  that  was  progressing.  "  Please 
tr}^  and  come  down  again,  because  yesterday  our 
congregation  at  the  chapel  was  very  much  people. 
Many  had  to  sit  outside  :  it  is  very  wonderful.  I  have 
never  seen  anything  like  this  at  any  time."  A  few 
days  after  she  wrote  again  :  "  I  like  very  much  that 
you  will  eome  down.  On  Monday  evening  the  con- 
gregation was  the  same  as  on  Sundays.  While  one 
girl  was  praying  and  crying  all  that  were  in  the  chapel 
trembled.  I  hope  that  you  will  come  down  and  see 
these  wonderful  things,  and  say  something  to  encourage 
and  strengthen  their  hearts."  Still  another  letter 
says  :  "  One  of  our  sisters  reports  that,  as  she  was  just 
now  passing  along  the  street  she  met  a  group  of  about 
twelve  heathen  people,  men  and  women,  from  the 
fishermen's  quarter  of  the  town,  who  were  saying  : 
'  We  will  go  to  chapel  to  be  Christians  ;  we  will  go 
to  give  ourselves  to  God  omnipotent.'  "  Then  followed 
a  series  of  remarkable  services  at  Anamabu,  where  he 
was  driven  to  do  as  was  being  done  at  Cape  Coast — 
fit  up  the  schoolroom  as  a  chapel-of-ease  to  accom- 
modate the  crowds  that  came. 

Early  in  December  of  the  same  year,  1875,  he 
visited  Salt  Pond  again.  The  candidates  for  baptism 
were  so  numerous  that  he  had  to  remove  to  the  shade 
of  some  banyan  trees  and  there  perform  the  ceremony. 
"  The  candidates  occupied  a  line  of  benches  extem- 
porised for  the  occasion,  forty-seven  paces  in  length. 
The  scene  was  beautiful  and  imposing." 

Returning  the  same  day  to  Anamabu  the  congrega- 
tion was  "  overwhelming,"  and  he  had  to  repeat  the 
Salt  Pond  experiment.  '^  Two  hundred  and  twelve 
candidates  received  baptism  in  the  presence  of  assem- 
bled hundreds."  That  day  he  had  received  into  the 
Church  by  baptism  some  three  hundred  souls.  His 
brief  description  of  the  watch-night  service  on  the  last 


146  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

night  of  the  year  1875  at  Aiiamabu  is  worth  recording. 
"  A  crowded  congregation  and  a  blessed  influence.  I 
preached  from  1  Kings  xx.  39,  40.  At  midnight  a 
mighty  influence  rested  on  the  congregation.  Stifled 
sobs  soon  rose  into  loud  cries  all  over  the  chapel. 
Oh,  what  a  scene  !  At  length  I  succeeded  in  giving 
out  and  raising  the  hymn,  '  Sing  to  the  great  Jehovah's 
praise.'  We  sang  it  through,  but  in  the  midst  of  cries 
and  tears  strangely  mingled  with  the  harmony.  At 
12.30  the  meeting  closed,  but  the  people  would  not 
leave  the  chapel.  They  had  a  special  prayer-meeting 
conducted  by  the  leaders,  kept  up  till  3.30  a.m." 

On  the  first  Sunday  of  the  year  1876  the  Church  at 
Anamabu  joined,  in  accordance  with  Methodist  custom, 
in  a  solemn  covenant  service  ;  and  Mr.  Freeman  notes 
that  there  were  about  five  hundred  communicants  at 
the  Lord's  Sui3per. 

There  were  many  extraordinary  cases,  which  might 
rank  with  some  recorded  in  John  Wesley's  journals. 
We  give  his  description  of  one  case — and  there  were 
many  of  a  similar  character — which  occurred  at 
Anamabu  at  the  service  for  receiving  adults  into  the 
Church  by  public  baptism.  "One  female  adult  was 
much  excited  at  the  communion  rail,  first  trembling 
violently,  and  at  length  breaking  out  into  loud  cries  as 
though  under  intense  bodily  or  mental  sufteriug.  She 
seemed  to  lose  her  powers  of  volition,  and  had  to  be 
taken  out  of  the  chapel  by  some  of  her  friends  who 
were  present." 

He  expresses  his  opinion  of  such  cases  which  may 
be  of  interest  to  some.  "  In  these  cases  of  extraordinary 
excitement  I  see  nothing  acted  fwid  unreal  on  the  part 
of  any  who  seem  thus  to  sufi'er.  I  look  upon  such 
experiences  as  purely  physico-mental,  and  as  arising 
out  of  the  intensity  of  religious  feeling  acting  upon 
the  brain,  and  upon  the  entire  physical  system." 

On  Jauuary  20th  he  went  to  Assafa  and  married 
five  couples.  "  Then  under  the  shade  of  some  banyan 
trees  .  .  .  baptised  two  hundred  and  sixty  adults  and 


GATHERING  IN  THE  SHEAVES.  147 

children.  .  .  .  There  were  many  children  and  infants, 
as  the  new  converts  who  were  heads  of  families, 
coming  themselves  for  baptism,  bronglit  tlieir  children 
with  them  and  offered  them  to  the  Lord.  Thns  whole 
honseholds  were  baptised." 

Among  some  later  candidates  for  baptism  was  ^'  the 
head  of  a  pagan  family,  very  recently  remarkable  for 
an  nnnsnally  extravagant  drinking  festival  in  cnstom- 
making  for  the  dead.  They  consumed  one  puncheon 
of  rum  and  commenced  another,  besides  ale,  wine,  and 
other  intoxicants.  These  are  the  blessed  changes  now 
effected  by  the  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Glory 
to  God  ! " 

Later  on  he  organised  an  extraordinary  camp  meet- 
ing at  Great  Kormantine,  which  was  the  first  service 
of  the  kind  ever  held  on  the  Gold  Coast.  Slight 
booths  were  erected  for  the  people  who  came  from  the 
villages  round.  The  Christians  brought  cooked  food, 
so  that  no  time  might  be  wasted.  Before  daylight  on 
Sunday,  April  9th,  1876,  the  Christians  came  flocking 
into  the  village,  and  by  ten  o'clock  a  thousand  persons 
were  present,  who  joined  in  public  worship.  "  When 
the  service  closed,  the  congregation  dispersed  to  take 
breakfast  in  groups  under  the  shade  of  clumps  of 
cocoanut  trees.  That  being  over,  several  larger  groups 
collected  for  exhortation,  prayer  and  praise.  This  was 
a  beautiful  scene,  the  culminating  point  of  the  day. 
Over  an  extent  of  ground  of  three  or  four  hundred 
yards  square,  dotted  with  clumps  of  cocoanut  palms, 
ill  every  direction  the  voice  of  prayer  and  praise  was 
heard,  while  others  were  walking  about  in  the  open 
spaces  engaged  in  earnest  Christian  conversation.  In 
tlie  afternoon  a  lovefeast  was  held,  at  which  there 
must  have  been  fifteen  hundred  people  present." 

At  Mankessim,  near  the  site  of  the  grove  of  the 
sacred  oracle,  Mr.  Freeman  was  obliged  to  move 
from  the  chapel  to  the  shade  of  some  trees  for  the 
baptism  of  the  numerous  catechumens.  The  record  he 
makes  is  most  encouraging,  considering  that  this  was 


148  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

formerly  the  stronghold  of  fetishism.  "  This  was, 
upon  the  whole,  the  most  extraordinary  and  affecting 
baptismal  service  I  have  ever  witnessed.  It  cannot 
fail  to  make  a  deep  impression  on  the  pagans  of  the 
town,  many  of  whom  were  gathered  in  observant 
groups  near  at  hand." 

In  September  of  the  same  year  another  camp  meet- 
ing was  held  at  Great  Kormantine,  when  the  people 
gathered  in  greater  numbers  than  before.  Mr.  Free- 
man estimates  that  there  were  two  thousand  people 
present.  There  were  similar  scenes  to  those  before 
described,  and  gracious  influence  rested  upon  the  multi- 
tude. 

At  the  end  of  the  year  1877  it  was  found  that  no 
less  than  three  thousand  persons  had  been  added  to 
the  Church,  and  Mr.  Freeman  himself  had  baptised 
fifteen  hundred  persons.  These,  added  to  the  baptisms 
of  the  previous  year,  showed  an  increase  of  some  four 
thousand  five  hundred,  and  still  the  gracious  revival 
continued.  No  wonder  that  the  missionaries,  when 
assembled  at  their  annual  gathering,  ''  started  to  their 
feet  as  one  man,  and  with  moistened  eyes  sang  the 
doxology  "  ! 

Mr.  Freeman  was  a  true  bishop,  and  watched  the 
flock  with  tender  solicitude.  We  flnd  him  holding 
conventions  with  the  leaders,  and  advising  them  how 
to  act  in  various  phases  of  the  revival  in  progress. 
Lest  the  people  should  come  to  view  loud  cries  and 
tremblings  as  a  necessary  part,  or  as  adjuncts  to  con- 
version, he  exhorted  them  to  guard  carefully  against 
all  unnecessary  excitement.  Thus  he  went  from 
village  to  village,  and  the  scenes  were  the  same 
everywhere.  Here  and  there  whole  villages  deserted 
their  idols  to  serve  the  living  God,  and  Mr.  Freeman's 
heart  was  very  full  of  thanksgiving  that  he  had  been 
permitted  in  his  old  age  to  see  such  a  gracious  "  Pente- 
cost." 

Another  camp  meeting  was  held  in  the  same  place 
as  the  previous  ones  in  the  year  1878.     In  addition  to 


GATHERING  IN  THE  SHEAVES.  149 

other  services  a  moonlight  prayer-meeting  was  held 
mider  the  palm  trees,  followed  by  a  lovefeast.  ''  As 
speaker  after  speaker  told  of  the  wonders  of  redeeming 
love  displayed  to  them,  the  assembly  rose  in  the 
briglit  moonlight  and  sang  doxology  after  doxology." 
The  most  remarkable  testimony  came  from  a  recent 
convert.     It  was  as  follows  :— 

"  Under  the  moonlight  you  do  not  see  me  clearly. 
If  you  could  })lainly  see  my  face,  you  would  see  what 
an  ill-looking,  worthless  fellow  1  am.  My  father  was 
a  fetish  man  and  my  mother  a  fetisli  woman,  and 
I  used  to  be  their  drummer.  If  any  one  had  said  to 
me  at  that  time  that  I  should  by-and-by  become 
a  Christian,  I  should  have  angrily  said  to  him,  '  You 
are  a  liar  ! '  Nevertheless  the  change  has  come  ;  a 
good  and  a  blessed  one,  and  Jesus  has  done  it  all." 

Mr.  Freeman  remarks  :  ''  It  may  be  deemed  im- 
l)ortant  to  notice  that  the  extraordinary  success  of  tlie 
camp  meetings  m  feeding  the  revival  has  been  their 
suitableness  to  the  national  genius  of  the  people.  In 
their  pagan  life  they  are  accustomed  to  frequent  and 
extensive  gatherings  in  their  occasional  and  annual 
customs.  Thus  the  national  habits  have  been  utilised 
to  promote  the  spread  of  the  gospel,  and  to  uplift  the 
Church  of  Christ  into  a  higher  atmosphere  of  Christian 
life." 

Then  followed  the  usual  weeding  ;  but  much  true 
wheat  remained,  and  within  those  three  or  four  years 
between  four  and  five  thousand  believers  were  added 
to  the  Church  of  God,  to  testify  to  the  spiritual  ])Ower 
of  this  wonderful  revival. 


MISSION   HOUSE,    LAGOS. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


JUBILEE   AND    GLORY. 


AFTER  six  years  of  coiitiinioiis  labour  at  Aiiamabu 
and  the  villages  around,  "  Father  "  Freeman,  as  he 
was  now  affectionately  known  to  his  colleagues  in  the 
work,  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  mission  at 
Accra,  which  embraced  not  only  this  important  centre, 
but  a  great  number  of  small  towns  and  villages  reach- 
ing to  Winnebah  on  the  west,  to  the  Volta  on  the 
east,  and  to  some  distance  over  the  Akwapim  hills  in 
the  interior.  He  entered  upon  his  work  here  in  1879 
with  his  wonted  ardour,  and  was  privileged  to  see  great 
success. 

In  1881  he  received  fifty -two  persons  into  the 
privilege  of  Church  membership.  Two-thirds  of  them 
had  been  won  from  paganism.  He  had  then  under 
instruction  for  baptism  a  woman  who  had  abandoned 
her  hereditary  calling.  She  had  received  special 
training,  but  refused  initiation  into  the  mysteries  of 
the  fetish  priesthood,  which  would  have  brought  her 

150 


JUBILEE  AND   GLORY.  151 

great  gain.  In  1883  he  met  with  nnprecedented 
snccess  at  Accra.  He  had  formed  evangelistic  bands, 
which  were  doing  a  good  work,  and  re])orted  tlic  con- 
version of  an  Ashanti  prince  from  Jnahiii,  named 
Akympon,  who  had  become  an  nnpaid  evangelist. 

In  1884  the  writer  of  tliis  biogra])hy  was  reqnested 
by  the  committee  of  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society 
to  visit  his  old  mission  with  a  view  to  the  settlement 
of  certain  dillicnlties  which  had  arisen.  At  his  special 
request  Father  Freeman  was  associated  with  him  in 
this  im2)ortant  undertaking.  He  readily  accepted  the 
trying  duties  that  were  likely  to  be  imposed  upon 
him,  and  joined  the  author  on  board  ship  at  Accra. 
During  this  year  his  health  had  broken  down,  and 
the  change  did  much  to  recruit  and  invigorate  hhn. 

For  several  weeks  we  were  in  closest  association. 
We  journeyed  to  Lagos  together,  and  there  he  dis- 
played his  mature  judgment  in  the  settlement  of  the 
difficulties  which  had  arisen.  The  greatest  reverence 
was  shown  to  the  veteran,  and  the  people  listened 
with  the  deepest  interest  to  his  public  utterances. 
There  were  a  few  old  people  in  the  town  who 
remembered  his  former  visits,  and  they  were  specially 
delighted  to  greet  the  man  who  had  introduced  the 
mission. 

On  our  return  from  Lagos,  early  in  the  year  1885, 
we  had  the  pleasure  of  sitting  together  at  Cape  Coast 
with  the  ministers  in  charge  of  the  various  stations  of 
the  Gold  Coast.  It  was  the  annual  Synod,  when  all 
reports  were  received  for  the  year  and  arrangements 
made  for  the  following  year's  Avork.  Be  it  remem- 
bered, too,  that  this  was  the  actual  jubilee  year  of 
the  mission.  The  meeting  was  therefore  of  unusual 
importance.  To  the  experienced  missionary,  the 
composition  of  the  Synod  was  suggestive  of  the 
wonderfnl  work  accomplished  in  the  half-century. 
The  European  element  was  very  small,  but  there  were 
fourteen  native  ministers,  choice  men,  who  joined  in 
the   counsels  and  gave  cheering   reports   from   their 


152  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

various  stations.  Eacli  one  of  these  men  represented 
the  centre  of  an  organisation,  inclnded  in  wticli  were 
scores  of  other  native  agents,  paid  and  unpaid,  all 
diligently  carryiDg  on  the  work  of  God.  One  man 
had  come  from  Bekwai,  a  province  of  Ashanti ;  another 
had  come  from  Apollonia,  to  the  east  of  the  Gold  Coast, 
who  could  tell  us  of  the  new  gold  mines  in  Takwa  ; 
another  from  Anamabu  and  from  Winnebah ;  and 
Father  Freeman,  as  the  reader  knows,  from  Accra. 

By  special  permission  there  were  also  present  the 
Juabin  chief  Akympon,  and  Frimpon  his  brother. 
They  had  come  to  plead  with  the  Synod  on  behalf  of 
a  colony  of  Juabins  who  had  settled  behind  the  Accra 
hills.  Such  a  plea  as  they  presented  could  not  be 
resisted,  and  though  the  finances  were  extremely 
limited,  it  was  decided  that  an  agent  should  be  sent 
to  their  help.  That  night  the  old  Wesley  Church 
was  more  than  crowded  for  the  annual  missionary 
meeting.  The  open  doors  and  windows  were  full  of 
eager  listeners.  The  spacious  platform  contained  all 
the  ministers,  and  as  speaker  after  speaker  told  the 
story  of  his  mission  the  enthusiasm  was  such  as  the 
author  has  never  witnessed  elsewhere.  The  culmi- 
nation was  reached  when  Akympon,  with  his  brother 
Frimpon  by  his  side,  spoke  and  appealed  for  a  mission- 
ary and  "  The  Book."  The  grace  and  force  of  his 
appeal  made  his  plea  irresistible,  and  spoke  volumes 
to  us  who  knew  the  long  years  of  bitter  hatred  and 
strife  which  had  existed  between  the  Ashanti  and  the 
Fanti.  Mr.  Freeman  was  delighted  with  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  devoted  native  minister  to  this  station, 
(which  continues  to  this  day),  especially  as  he  had 
taken  the  deepest  interest  in  the  chief,  who  was  a 
member  of  his  church  at  Accra. 

This  Synod  also  made  arrangements  for  a  suitable 
celebration  of  the  jubilee  of  the  Gold  Coast  mission 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  now  exten- 
sive district.  As  part  of  the  rejoicings,  the  native 
Church  proposed  to  send  Father  Freeman  on  a  visit 


father"  freeman. 


154  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

to  England  at  their  own  expense.  Of  this  offer  he 
never  availed  himself,  hesitating  very  much  from  the 
fear  of  the  English  climate. 

These  gracions  jnbilee  services  began  at  Cape 
Coast  on  Snnday,  February  1st,  1885,  and  produced 
immense  enthnsiasm.  The  Rev.  W.  Terry  Coppin 
furnislied  a  brief  account,  which  was  published  in  the 
English  papers.  As  early  as  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning  the  spacious  church  was  full  of  earnest 
l)loaders  with  God,  and  the  j^rayer-meeting  continued 
till  day-dawn.  Then  at  seven  o'clock  a  native  minister 
])reached.  Calico  awnings  were  placed  along  each  side 
of  the  church,  to  protect  the  people  who  could  find  no 
room  within  from  the  fierce  heat  of  the  sun.  The  first 
English  service  of  the  day,  however,  was  that  con- 
ducted by  Father  Freeman  at  half-past  ten.  The 
patriarch  of  seventy-six  chose  the  appropriate  i)assage 
from  the  blessing  of  the  dying  Jacob  uttered  upon 
his  beloved  Joseph.  "  The  blessings  of  thy  fathers 
have  prevailed  above  (exceeded)  the  blessings  of  my 
progenitors  unto  the  utmost  bound  of  the  everlasting 
hills."  The  old  man  with  great  energy  and  eloquence 
drew  upon  his  rich  experience,  contrasting  the  past 
with  the  present. 

Who  could  have  preached  so  well  from  such  a  text 
to  this  people  ?  It  was  he  who  had  completed  the 
building  of  the  revered  sanctuary  in  which  they  were 
assembled,  and  his  missionary  life  among  them  had 
covered  nearly  the  whole  period  of  fifty  years.  He 
had  been  the  chief  human  agent  in  extending  the 
work  from  one  end  of  the  district  to  the  other.  The 
old  father  pi-eachiiig  the  jubilee  sermon  was  as  com- 
plete a  finish  to  the  marvellous  record  of  fifty  years 
as  any  historian  could  wish. 

The  two  following  days  were  devoted  to  i)ublic 
thanksgiving  meetings.  Mr.  Coppin  Avrites  :  "  After 
a  short  introductory  address  .  .  .  remarkable  experi- 
ences and  some  equally  remarkable  gifts  followed. 
Ministers  and  laymen  followed  one  another  in  joyous 


JUBILEE  AND   GLORY.  155 

haste,  promising  amonnts  varying  from  five  to  fifty 
guineas.  Then  came  the  largest  offering  of  the  day 
— one  hundred  guineas  from  a  young  native  mer- 
chant whom  God  had  prospered  in  business."  After 
a  short  recess,  they  reasseml)le(l  with  increased 
entliusiasm.  Two  or  three  at  a  time  wer(>  upon  their 
feet  to  speak  of  God's  love  and  mercy  to  tlicm  and  to 
subscribe  their  amounts.  Mr.  Coppin  adds  :  "  I  was 
greatly  touched  by  a  statement  from  an  aged  woman  : 
'  I  am  nothing,  1  have  notliing,  I  can  do  little  else 
tluxn  nothing."  Yet  I  cannot  sit  here  and  see  and  liear 
otliers  giving  their  offerings  to  God  and  remain  silent. 
With  myself  and  children  I  will  try  and  get  a  guinea  : 
please  jmt  my  name  down  ! '  Many  a  widow's  mite 
after  this  manner  has  gone  into  the  Lord's  treasury 
to-day.  .  .  .  One  old  lady  said  she  was  associated 
with  ''those  who  first  invited  Captain  Potter  to  bring 
tliem  a  missionary.  She  alone  was  left  of  her  female 
friends  who  joined  to  welcome  Mr.  Dunwell.  .  .  . 
Then  the  work  was  very  poor  and  hard,  and  she 
marvelled  to  see  it  spread  as  it  is  doing  now.  Aged 
and  poor,  she  possessed  very  little,  but  she  would  try 
and  get  a  pound  as  her  offering.  .  .  .  The  people 
seemed  as  if  they  could  not  do  enough.  .  .  .  Better 
than  all,  many  heathen  present  publicly  renounced 
heathenism. 

"  When  a  young  native  minister  announced  that  lie 
had  that  evening  walked  arm-in-arm  to  the  church 
with  the  chief  of  an  obscene  dancing  club  called 
*  Ganga,'  and  that  the  young  man  had  renounced  his 
sinfuf  life,  giving  himself  to  C'hrist  and  His  service 
as  a  mission  agent,  the  emotion  which  moved  the 
congregation  was  most  intense.  Si)Outaneously  the 
large  assembly  rose  and  sang  the  doxology  with  a 
pathos  and  power  very  blessed.  .  .  .  Four  members 
of  the  '  Ganga  Club '  sent  a  letter  stating  they  had 
severed  themselves  from  it,  had  given  themselves 
to  God,  and  sent  twelve  guineas  as  a  subscription  to 
the  Jubilee  Fund." 


156  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

Another  letter  ran  as  follows  : — "  Fetisli  men  and 
women  live  in  our  house,  but  I  find  no  Saviour  in 
them,  so  I  give  myself  to  Jesus  and  send  my  present 
of  thirty  shillings." 

Old  Father  Freeman,  with  others,  gave  suitable 
addresses,  bringing  the  remarkable  series  of  services 
to  a  close. 

The  enthusiasm  spread  throughout  the  district.  At 
Accra  Mr.  Freeman  did  his  utmost  with  his  usual 
ardour  to  jDromote  the  interests  of  the  jubilee 
celebration.  In  a  letter  which  the  author  has  now 
before  him,  Mr.  Freeman  states  that  the  people  of 
his  circuit  had  promised  £2,920  towards  this  fund, 
which  was  to  be  appropriated  to  the  extension  and 
maintenance  of  the  work  of  God  in  the  country. 

The  meetings  in  connection  with  this  jubilee 
celebration,  whether  the  finances  were  helped  or  not, 
were  productive  of  deep  sj^iritual  feelings,  and  did 
immense  good.  In  them  all  tliere  was  no  happier 
man  than  our  dear  friend,  the  story  of  whose  life  we 
have  tried  to  relate. 

Mr.  Freeman  continued  in  active  native  work  till  the 
year  1886,  when  the  earnest  labourer  reluctantly  stepped 
aside  to  rest.  He  would  have  i)referred  carrying  on 
his  holy  toil,  taking  his  full  share  of  responsibility  ; 
but  yielding  to  advice,  he  became  a  supernumerary 
minister  in  the  midst  of  his  own  people  at  Accra.  He 
found  it  necessary  to  supplement  his  allowance  by 
again  resorting  to  his  garden.  So  his  time  passed,  in 
the  performance  of  such  duties  as  he  could  perform 
and  in  occasional  preaching,  and  down  to  the  last 
taking  the  deepest  interest  in  the  Christian  work  all 
about  him. 

Then  came  frequent  i)hysical  ailments  ;  and  his 
eldest  son  fitted  up  a  house  for  his  father,  where  the 
patriarch  dwelt  in  greater  comfort.  On  the  arrival 
of  the  European  missionary  Price,  Mr.  Freeman  went 
to  the  church  to  hear  him  preach.  The  result  was 
that   he   caught   cold,   and   his   friends   thought   the 


JUBILEE  AND    GLORY.  157 

end  had  come.  God  spared  liim,  however,  a  little 
longer. 

Again  in  the  following  May  he  was  taken  seriously 
ill,  when  he  was  removed  to  the  mission  honse,  and 
subsequently  rallied.  His  eldest  son,  who  has  furnished 
the  writer  with  these  particulars,  states  :  ''  About  a 
fortnight  after  his  removal  he  began  to  mend,  was 
able  to  sit  in  his  armchan*  in  his  dressing-gown,  and 
even  answered  some  letters  received  just  before  liis 
illness.  He  got  me  to  trim  his  hair.  He  looked  fresh, 
and  walked  up  and  down  the  verandah  ;  on  my  arm  at 
first,  and  afterwards  without  tliat  aid.  He  incpiired 
when  his  next  appointment  would  be  due,  witli  a  view 
to  prepare  a  sermon  for  it.  We  all  were  looking  for- 
ward to  the  time,  which  did  not  seem  far  distant  .  .  . 
of  welcoming  him  home  once  more." 

''  But  that  was  not  to  be,  for  on  August  0th  he  had 
an  attack  of  influenza,  .  .  .  which  brought  on  a 
relapse.  The  complaint  itself,  an  affection  of  the 
kidneys,  had  been  checked  .  .  .  but  the  fever  had 
so  exhausted  his  strength  that  there  remained  little 
rallying  power. 

"  The  doctor  told  me,"  continues  his  son  in  the 
letter,  ^  A¥e  are  fighting,  not  so  much  against  disease 
as  against  old  age.'  "  The  son  watched  by  his  father's 
bed.  On  the  morning  of  August  9th  he  replied,  in 
answer  to  his  son's  incpiiries,  "  I  think  I  am  better,  bat 
very  tired."  The  letter  continues  :  "  On  that  day  the 
doctor  told  us  that  he  would  not  recover,  and  that  the 
heart  was  failing  in  its  action.  He  could  only  utter  a 
word  at  a  time,  and  was  constantly  calling  me,  but 
only  took  my  hand  for  a  time  and  dropped  it. 

"  As  I  was  conversing  with  him  the  day  before  tlie 
fatal  relapse,  he  directed  my  attention  to  several  pas- 
sages that  seem  to  favour  the  idea  of  our  Lord's 
second  coming  as  a  near  event.  ...  He  believed  him- 
self very  near  it,  and  was  in  daily  expectation  of  being 
caught  up  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air.  He  said  he 
was  like  a  little  bird  with  wing  ready  raised  for  flight. 


158  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

When  the  doctor  gave  him  up  on  the  Saturday  I 
asked  him  :  '  Haven't  you  anythius;  to  say  to  us, 
papa  ? '  He  seemed  to  be  musing.  I  inquired  : 
'  Nothing  more  than  what  you  said  to  me  on  Wednes- 
day ? '     He  brightened  up  and  shook  his  head." 

"  One  of  the  last  entries  he  made  in  his  journal  is  : 
^  Mr.  Parker's  text  was  from  a  very  familiar  chapter 
of  mine,  John  xvii.  24,  "  Father,  I  will  that  they  also, 
whom  Thou  hast  given  Me,  be  with  Me  where  I  am,"  etc. 
0  dear  and  blessed  Jesus,  this  is  what  I  daily  feel  ! 
Nothing  can  satisfy  me  but  seeing  Thee  in  Thy  glory. 
Oh,  when  wilt  Thou  bow  the  heavens  and  come 
down?'" 

"  At  the  last  family  prayer  he  joined  in,  he  gave 
out  the  hymn  beginning,  '  Now  I  have  found  the 
ground,'  etc.,  throwing  much  pathos  into  the  fifth  verse, 
repeating  the  last  line  and  adding,  '  Amen.' 

'' '  Though  waves  and  storms  go  o'er  my  head, 

Though  strength,  and  health,  and  friends  be  gone, 
Though  joys  be  withered  all  and  dead, 
Though  every  comfort  be  withdrawn, 
On  this  my  steadfast  soul  relies, — 
Father,  Thy  mercy  never  dies.' 

"  He  was  thus  ready,  with  his  loins  girt,  often 
exclaiming,  ^  Amen,  come,  Lord  Jesus  ! '  And  though 
he  was  not  actually  caught  up  alive  to  meet  the  Lord 
in  the  air,  his  departure  can  hardly  be  called  death. 
On  the  last  day  he  was  quite  free  from  pain,  and  slept 
a  good  deal.  Li  his  waking  moments  he  looked 
tenderly  on  us." 

The  hours  i^assed  away,  and  the  veteran  slept  peace- 
fully till  ten  o'clock  at  night  on  August  11th,  1890, 
when  without  "  knowing  death  "  he  passed  away  home 
to  God.  His  son,  who  watched  his  dying  father, 
writes  :  "  There  was  no  struggle,  no  groan,  no  sigh  ;  but 
gently  and  gradually  the  pulse  beat  slower  and  slower 
.  .  .  and  life  ebbed  out  and  the  spirit  was  ^  safe  in 
the  arms  of  Jesus,'     So  gradual  was  the  transition,  and 


JUBILEE  AND   GLORY.  159 

SO  gentle,  SO  soft,  so  restful,  was  the  last  slumber,  that 
neither  mother  nor  myself  could  perceive  the  exact 
[)oint  of  time  when  the  altogether  imperceptible  change 
took  place,  thougli  watching  so  closely." 

Many  went  to  view  the  body  of  this  servant  of  God 
as  it  lay  in  tlie  mission-house,  and  on  August  13th  thc^ 
remains  were  taken  to  the  Weslevan  ChurcJi,  where  he 
had  so  often  held  fortli  the  Word  of  Life.  The  Revs. 
T.  J.  Price  and  S.  B.  Solomon  conducted  the  former 
})art  of  the  funeral  service.  A  vast  crowd  followed 
liis  remains  to  tlie  grave  in  the  AVesleyan  Cemetery, 
where  the  Rev.  D.  G.  AVilliams,  M.A.,  of  the  Anglican 
I'^piscopalian  (/hurcli,  concluded  the  service.  The 
native  minister,  Phinge,  who  had  wept  like  a  cliild  at 
the  loss  of  one  with  whom  he  had  been  associated  for  so 
many  years,  between  his  sobs  gave  an  address  ;  whilst 
the  Rev.  Carl  Reiudorpt,  of  the  German  mission,  also 
testified  to  the  love  and  respect  in  wliicli  he  was 
held. 

At  the  same  hour  a  memorial  service  was  held  at 
Ca})e  Coast.  The  following  week,  at  another  service, 
many  were  glad  to  bear  testimony  to  tJieir  great  love 
of  the  departed  by  raising  a  subscription,  forty  pounds 
of  which  were  sent  to  the  widow.  The  remaiucler  was 
kept  to  raise  a  suitable  memorial  to  be  placed  within 
the  church  at  ('ape  (Joast,  which  Mr.  Freeman  had 
been  so  instrumental  in  building. 

The  testimony  of  his  brethren,  as  embodied  in  the 
official  obituary,  is  as  follows  : — "  Mr.  Freeman  was  a 
true  missionary,  loved  and  respected  by  all.  His 
mellowed  piety,  patience,  resignation  and  humility, 
were  characteristic.  He  served  his  Church  faitlifully, 
and,  as  his  reward,  gained  the  reverent  love  of  all  tlie 
people  of  the  Gold  Coast." 

A  few  more  such  ardent  souls,  and  the  wastes  of 
Africa  shall  be  won  for  Christ.  "The  desert  shall 
rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose,"  and  the  continent, 
cursed  by  the  cupidity  of  man,  shall  smile  with  the  bene- 
diction of  the  Gracious  Saviour,  whose  loyal  servant 


i6o  THOMAS  BIRCH  FREEMAN. 

our  missionary  was.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  saying,  in 
reference  to  his  enjoyment  of  tropical  heat  and  bright- 
ness, "  I  am  a  child  of  the  sun,"  and  we  know  that  he 
loved  his  adopted  country  with  greater  affection  than 
that  of  a  patriot.  The  whole  Church  may  well  be 
thankful  for  such  men,  and  that  section  of  it  to  which 
he  specially  belonged  has  a  right  to  be  proud  of  such 
a  representative.  And  surely  those  whose  inheritance 
it  is  to  bear  the  banner  so  nobly  unfurled  by  this 
loyal  soldier  of  Christ  will  not  linger  along  the  path. 
Let  the  Church  be  but  faithful  in  encouraging  and 
sustaining  the  Christlike  enterprise,  and  many  more 
apostolic  men  like  Thomas  Birch  Freeman  will  be 
found  willing  to  seek  the  redemption  of  Africa. 


THE    END. 


Printed  by  Haxell,  Watson,  <Si  Yiuey,  Ld.,  London  and  Aylesb'.uy 


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DATE  DUE 


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VM.. 


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HIGHSMITH  #45230 


'W^ 


Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  01039  7893 


